Luckily You Exist
by AndThenYou
Summary: Damon has to take care of Stefan's little son while he's in Europe. Elena is the nanny. Are they going to bond and know each other when she's going to spend a lot of time at the boarding house? AU\AH.
1. Chapter 1

It was early Sunday morning, when Damon heard his phone ringing. Yeah, he could seriously puch this annoying moron in the face. Whoever the hell that was. "Yeah?" He said half asleep and half irritated.

"Hey Damon it's me, Stefan. Were you sleeping?" His brother asked. Damon rolled his eyes. Of course, who could it be? That broody brother of his.

"It's just seven in the morning on Sunday Stef, what else could I have been doing. Collecting daisies?" He said sarcastically.

"Look..I'm sorry," Stefan sighed "but I really need to talk to you. It's pretty important." He said nervousely.

Damon huffed in frustration. "Right now?" He asked trying to sound more calm as possible.

He heard Stefan hesitating on the other line. "If you can.." He said with that victim tone.

"Fine. Meet me in thirty minutes at the Grill." He said.

"Okay. I'll be there." Stefan replied, haning up the phone.

Damon huffed again before streching his body and rosing up from the bed. He went over Andie's side, slapping her ass.

"Time to get up." He said while heading to the bathroom.

"Suck it Damon, it's seven in the morning! Why don't you bring your ass over here instead.." She said frustrated, then continuing with a seductive tone, trying to reach his leg with hers.

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. Chicks could be so irritating, especially in the morning. "Oh I would love it babe..but I have a meeting with my baby bro." He said, closing the door behind him.

It's not that he had a problem with kicking Andie out of his bed. After all, they weren't in a real relationship, Damon made it clear from the beginning. They had fun together, she was a distraction. But that didn't mean that they couldn't see other people, as Damon sometimes did.

It was okay for Andie, but Damon could sense that in the last few weeks it had started bothering her..not that he would care anyway.

He was ready in ten minutes. He put his leather jacket on, heading for the stairs of the huge boarding house, when Andie grabbed his arm.

"Call me later, okay?" She asked, smiling tightly and a little hopeful.

"We'll see." He said with the same smile, patting her lightly on the cheek.

Once at the Grill, he ordered a very needed coffe while waiting for his brother. He could seriously pass out right there on the bar.

"Here's your coffee, Mr. Salvatore." Ben said with a smile.

Damon thanked him with a smile. Stefan and Damon's father, Giuseppe, owned the place and other buildings in the town. Both he and Stefan worked at their father's company, but in the past few weeks Damon really felt like doing nothing. His angsty relationship with his father didn't help at all.

He had always known that his father preferred Stefan over him, and Giuseppe didn't even worry to deny it, but recently it had become so unbereable that Damon decided to quit for a while and just be a layabout. He had never told anyone about his insecurities about his family, he was too proud to, but even if he didn't show it, it wasn't something that Damon really enjoyed. He had now got used to it, but before he had suffered because of it. He loved his little brother, though. They always had each other's back.

He felt someone tapping him on the shoulder and he turned around to see Stefan smiling apologetically at him.

"I'm sorry if I have woken you up this early Damon, but it's about Jamie." Stefan told him seriously. At that, Damon grow serious too.  
>"What happened to him?" He immediatly asked.<p>

Jamie was Stefan's son. He and Katherine Pierce, his highschool girlfriend, had a child when they were just eighteen years old.

Little did he know, though, that Katherine disappeared right after giving birth to Jamie. She had already graduated when she gave birth to him, and she left a broken Stefan behind. That of course had been one of the biggest shames of their family, according to their father. He hadn't talked to Stefan for two years.

At first Stefan was devastated; he truly believed in his love with Katherine, and even if he knew that it wasn't going to be easy, he thought that they were strong and real. But now after five years he hadn't heard from her not even once.

Luckily Stefan after a rough and dark period, had finally gotten over Katherine. He was now with Caroline Forbes since two years, and he seemed genuinely happy.

"Don't worry, he's okay. But father wants me to go with him for a business trip for the next two months. We're having a huge tour for promoting the company..and I've tried to avoid that, but I just couldn't. You know him." Stefan said.

Damon sighed. "So what exactly do you want me to do? Take your place in the trip?" He said, trying not to sound irritated even at the idea of spending two whole months with his father.

Stefan seemed uncomfortable. "Well, I've proposed that to him but he said.." He began.

"..That he would have wanted you anyways." Damon finished for him with a blank tone, now so used at this for his own good.

"Pretty much." Stefan said looking at his feet, clearly embarassed. Damon had never blamed his brother..after all it wasn't his fault if everyone always preferred him. But sometimes he could almost hate him for being always the golden boy, when he was just the black sheep.

"What I wanted to ask you is if you can take care of him while I'm gone. Keep an eye on him. Jamie is really fond of you Damon, he loves you. You're the only person that I trust around him.." Stefan said, looking deeply into his brother's eyes.

It was true, Jamie truly was the only one who ever showed genuine love and affection to Damon, and he really loved his nephew as well. He just didn't know how to take care of a kid, he didn't actually know if he could.

"Stefan, look.." Damon began serious, wanting to make this clear to his brother.

Stefan cut him off shortly. "I know what you're thinking, that you're not good enough, that you don't know how to take care of a kid…but Jamie is a very mature and indipendent boy. He knows how to behave. Plus, it's not like you really have better to do." Stefan said the last words a bit accusatory, raising his eyebrows. "And don't worry, you won't be alone. There's this girl, Elena, who is Jamie's nanny and she has pratically become a big sister to him. She's amazing with him. Elena was in highschool with me and she's one of Caroline's best friends. She knows how to handle Jamie, and she will help you a lot. I can assure you that." Stefan said trying to sound reassuringly. He knew that he was asking a lot to him, after all Damon really didn't know where to begin with a kid, and with his fancy lifestyle full of sonority girls, he probably was the last person who you would ask something like that. But Stefan trusted his brother, and when he had first told Jamie about him being away for two months, Damon and Elena were the first people he had asked for.

Damon seemed thoughtful for a few moments before repling with an unsure smile and sigh. "Okay. I'll do it."

Stefan smiled warmly at him, and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you." He said while patting his shoulder.

"Whatever..now get off, you make us seem gay." Damon said awkwardly. Thruthfully, he just wasn't used to this kind of display of affection, and it made him feel uncomfortable. He've never done it with anyone beside his mother when he still was a little kid…

* * *

><p>Later in the afternoon, Stefan showed up at the boarding house with Jamie.<p>

When things with Caroline had started getting serious, Stefan moved in with her, leaving the boarding house all to Damon. To be honest, Damon didn't like the house quite much. It was a beautiful and huge house, that's for sure, it's just that he didn't know what to do with it and it felt somehow cold and empty.

He could as well prefer a big loft, preferably out of Mystic Falls.

"Uncle Damon!" Jamie shouted when he saw him, throwing his arms at him.

"Hey kiddo..I've missed you." Damon said, putting on his knees and holding him.

"We're going to have a lot of fun together. I love this house." Jamie said smiling.

"You can bet on it." Damon replied, giving him high-five.

Stefan smiled at their interactions, but then cleared his throat to quickly talk to Damon about some things.

"Go in the kitchen if you want, I've already bought you some junky food that you like so much." Damon said winking and ruffing his hair, amused at how Jamie ran straight into the kitchen at those words.

Seeing his brother's concerned expression, Damon rolled his eyes. "We will be okay. Stop worrying."

"I know that. It's just that I've never left him for so long. And we have to make a couple of things clear, Damon." Stefan pointed out, almost like he was talking to a kid.

"Go ahead. Purge. Get it out, what's on your mind?"

"First of all, no junky food before dinner or before going to bed. Don't be too consensient with him, if you have to scold him sometimes, do it. He's always going to school, just if he's really sick you don't let him. And another important rule Damon…I don't want him to see your sonority girls go around the house, you have to behave while you're with Jamie. You can't just let him walk into you while you're having sex or God knows what you do in this house." Stefan said serious, and a little disgusted.

"Something else, Captain Obvious?" Damon asked sarcastically. "Don't worry Stefan, I'll behave. Jeez, it's not like I'm a nymphomaniac or a complete nut." He said annoyed.

Stefan gave him a pointed look. "Well, I love sex, of course..but I can handle myself. You're not talking to a horny teen-ager you know. Drop it." He finished, rolling his eyes at his brother's annoyance.

"Okay, okay..I was just saying." Stefan said, holding his hands up in defense. "Anyway, Elena is coming over later. I told her to pass even just for a few minutes so you get to know each other and talk a little."

"Mmh..how is this Elena chick? Is she hot?" He asked with his usual smirk.

Now it was Stefan's turn to roll his eyes. "No Damon, don't even think about it. Elena is a very good girl and I don't want you to play your little nasty games on her." He said seriously.

"I was just asking! Chill.." He said, still smirking a little.

"Otherwise I should rethink about that 'not being a horny teen-ager'." Stefan said cocking his eyebrows.

"Just shup up already and go say goodbye to your son." Damon said.

Stefan said goodbye to Jamie, quickly reminding him of a few rules, some of them were even on Damon's list and he could just wonder if his brother had been up all night memorizing them. Jamie, though, seemed really mature for his age as Stefan had always said. He didn't do whims or crying when Stefan left, he was a very quiet and sweet kid. He had been well educated.

"Is Elena coming today?" Jamie asked once Stefan had left, popping on the couch.

Damon sat beside him. "Yup. Your dad told her to come over to talk to me, she's going to be here in an hour or so." He replied smiling.

"Good." Jamie said smiling, laying down on the couch.

* * *

><p>Earlier today, Stefan told her that for a couple of months Jamie would have stayed with his brother. Elena was really fond of Jamie, and the idea made her quite anxious. Stefan was a very good person, so his brother would be as well, Elena was sure of that. But her overprotective side for Jamie made her still nervous about this change. She knew all the problems that Stefan had been through in his life, and even because of it, Jamie had grown up as a very close and quiet kid. So being apart from his father for two months could have been a little hard for him.<p>

She was going to meet Damon, Stefan's older brother, in an hour at the boarding house which was almost twenty minutes away from her house. She knew that the huge maison belonged to the Salvatore's, but she had never thought that someone indeed lived there. It seemed very huge for just one person. But maybe Damon had a wife, or kids..who knew?

"Jeremy! Have you seen the keys of my car?" She shouted at her brother.

"I'm packing, Elena, if you haven't noticed yet! Anyway yes, they're here. And Aunt Jenna wants to talk to you." He shouted back.

She rolled her eyes and huffed. At the moment her family was in some changes too. Her Aunt Jenna, who took care of her and Jeremy after their parents death since they were in highscool, together with her fiance Alaric, who was her history teacher at school, had bought a new house to move in all together.

Elena couldn't be happier; Alaric and Jenna had been dating for years now, and it was about time to make the next step. She deserved that. They both did.

While Jeremy wasn't exactly thinking of moving, Elena at the age of 23 though that she had to find her own place. Even for that she was working as a nanny for Stefan's son, while studying at university.

Elena had always loved kids. She had always loved taking care of them, maybe having a little brother and taking care of him for all these years helped her to understand that. She was indeed studying child pshychology and in the future she wanted to be a social worker or a psychologist. She still wasn't sure.

"What's up?" She asked to her aunt, who was still packing in the kitchen.

She had a somehow apologetic and worried expression on her face. "Elena, look..today we're finishing packing, and we're moving in to Ric's while waiting for the new house to be ready. I didn't remember though that Ric's house isn't that big, and we have already Jeremy sleeping on the couch...could you find like another place to stay until the house is ready? It's just for a few weeks." Jenna said, biting her lip nervousely.

Elena's jaw dropped open. What? And she was telling her this now? Where the hell could she go? Caroline locked the house after she had left with Stefan for his trip, and Bonnie no longer lived in Mystic Falls. She had no place to go!

"Jenna! And you're telling me this now?" Elena spat.

"I know. I'm sorry. Forget it, we'll find a way." Her aunt reassured.

Elena sighed in frustration, and then she thought about something.

It may have sounded ridiculous, but she could ask to Stefan's brother if she could stay in the house just for a few weeks, working more and not asking money. That could work…maybe. After all that house was huge.

"Don't worry. I may have something in mind. Now I have to go." She said, quickly kissing Jenna on the cheek and heading out.

Twenty minutes later she was at the boarding house. She felt a little nervous, and she didn't know why. Maybe because she was about to ask to a complete stranger if she could sleep in his house? Probable. She still had Jamie's excuse, though. And she loved spending time with him anyway.

She had opted for her usual comfy ponytail, a cute tank top, a pair of skinny jeans and her beloved All Stars. Casual but still very nice.

Wow, the house was really huge. The more she got closer, the more she saw it. She knocked twice, swallowing nervousely. It reminded her of those old style houses that she saw in the movies, full of vampires and those stuffs.

After a few seconds the door flew open, and she had to keep her jaw from dropping and her eyes from wide open. The man in front of her could as well be the most beautiful creature she had ever seen.

Black raven hair, which seemed to be so soft that you would want to pass a hand through it, breathtaking body, and a handsome, if not flawless, face. What took her breath away the most, though, were the eyes.

She had seen blue eyes before, even pretty..but these. She couldn't explain. The depth and the uniqueness in them was mesmerizing. Ocean blue eyes. She quickly shook her thoughts away when she saw the beautiful featueres of his face turning into a smirk, a cocky one she could see.

Wonderful, they hadn't even introduced yet and he had already caught her staring and drooling over him.

"You must be Elena." He said, his voice revealed to be as sensual as the rest of his body. A shiver passed through her at the sound of it.

He quickly took her hand in his, and when she thought that he was going to shook it, he took it to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

"I'm Damon. Stefan's brother." He said with the smirk still in place.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review! :)<strong>

Thank you, G.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm Damon. Stefan's brother." He said with the smirk still in place.

Elena gave him a shy smile, trying not to stare too much into those piercing ocean eyes.

"I'm Elena. Gilbert. Nice to meet you, Mr. Salvatore." She said politely, not really sure if she had to call him for name or surname.

He gave her a strange look, as in ask her if she was crazy. "You can call me Damon, Elena. I'm just two years older than my brother." He said smiling cockily, with a 'duh' expression.

"Okay then..Damon." She nodded. He was just too cocky for his own good and Elena felt like rolling her eyes. She was just trying to be polite.

"Come on in. Jamie has been waiting for you, he seems really fond of you." He said waving her to come in and holding the door for her.

"I really am of him too. He's a special kid."

He obviously checked her out as she walked, especially her lower part. Damon smirked. Elena was seriously hot in her simplicity. Those tight jeans spoken for themselves. She had big doe eyes and long fluffy brown hair. Even a nice pair of breasts, he could say. If it wasn't for his brother and his stupid little rules, Damon would have taken her right there, right now.

"Wow, this house is really huge. If I may ask..do you live here alone?" She asked while looking around the house, amazed.

"Yes. Since one year now." He replied quickly.

"I honestly thought that maybe you had children, or you were married." Elena said sincerely. She really didn't know how a person could live in this house all alone. Not that it was her business anyway. What worried her the most right now was asking to him if she could live here! That was going to be embarassing, she knew it. Mostly because Damon really didn't seem the type to take you seriously, and even because she felt somehow uncomfortable around him. It was a weird feeling. She felt like she was in highschool and she had in front of her the hottest guy of the school.

Damon snorted at her affirmation, and again she felt like he thought that she was crazy even for thinking something like that.

"No way." He spat as if she had asked him to jump off a bridge.

Perfect. And this was the person was who going to take care of his brother's son for two months?

"Elena!" Jamie exclaimed, running to her and wrapping his tiny arms around her.

He was such a cutie. If she was going to have kids, Elena wished that they were like Jamie. Her experience with him had been amazing, and he was the sweetest kid. With Jeremy had always been the total opposite since he was a pretty smart ass even when he was a kiddo.

Jamie barely made any whims, and almost always did what he was asked to. You could see that he was Stefan's son. His hair and his face were the same as his father. His eyes, though, even if she had never seen Jamie's mother before, Elena supposed that were just like hers. Deep chocolate eyes with a glim of caramel if you payed attention.

"Hey you!" Elena said affectionately, picking him up in her arms. "How did your math test go on Friday?" She asked as she patted his head.

"Mmh..not so good. Mrs. Clarke said that I can do better. I suck at math." He pouted.

"Don't worry. I'm sure that we'll improve." Elena said reassuringly.

Just then she noticed Damon's penetrating eyes on her, and for a moment she felt like she was naked, like he was scanning her.

"This is my Uncle Damon. He's daddy's brother. He's cool."

Elena interlocked her eyes with Damon's, smiling slightly. "I know who he is." She said. "Now that you've reminded me of this Jam, I really need to talk to your uncle." Elena said, putting Jamie down.

"Okay." He just said, going on the couch and watching some cartoons.

"Look, Damon, I want to ask you something..but feel free to refuse, of course." Elena said awkwardly, gesticulating with her hands.

He was leaning against the wall frame with a somehow amused and smug expression on his face. That was seriously starting to annoy her.

"I'm all ears." He said casually, with a glass of something in his hands.

"My family is moving, today we're pratically leaving the house. Little did I know though that my aunt doesn't know where to put me, since her fiance's house is too small for everyone while we're waiting for the new house to be ready. So she asked me if I could find a place to stay for the next few weeks, and I was wondering.." She was saying, before he interrupted her.

"If you could stay here?" He asked raising his eyebrows, that slight amused look still there.

Elena swallowed nervousely. She felt so embarassed at asking something like that, it almost made her feel like a homeless since she didn't even know him. But she knew Stefan, and Caroline, and she was Jamie's nanny so she didn't seem totally out of her mind..did she?

"Yeah, pretty much. It would be just for a few weeks, and I could work more, if you need me to do it." She said smiling nervousely.

Damon removed himself from the wall frame, heading towards her. He put his glass of bourbon or rum - Elena presumed - on the table next to her.

"No problem. You can stay here as long as you need, I'm sure that my brother would agree too." He said, "After all this is his house too, so make yourself at home..Elena." He finished with a smirk, and hearing her name pronounced by him felt so sexy. The man was seriously sex on legs.

"Okay. Thank you so much. Can I bring my stuff tonight already?"

"Didn't you hear me? That's your house too now..so do whatever you want." He said, shrugging.

"Do you need a ride?" He then asked.

"Excuse me?" Elena said, a bit distracted.

"Home, I mean." He said smirking again. Elena blushed immediatly.

"No, it's okay, I have my car. But thank you..for the offer." She said heading towards the door, and she couldn't help but smirk at him a little too, knowing that she had probably got him now. The guy was such a flirt.

"Whenever you want." He said, giving her a knowing look.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, before going to say bye to Jamie.

"Are you already going?" He pouted.

"I'm coming back later. I just need to grab some stuff." Elena said smiling at him.

"Okay." He shrugged content, kissing her on the cheek.

Once out of the house, Elena called Jenna.

"Hey. So, I've found a place to stay. I'm gonna grab some stuff at home..do you need some help with the last packs?"

"Lena! Thanks God. I'm so sorry that I've messed you up at the last moment. Don't worry, Alaric brought almost everything at his place now. After you take the things you need, lock the door and put the keys under the mat. Okay?" Jenna said.

"'Kay. Don't worry. Bye Jenna." Elena said hanging up.

Elena arrived at her house in twenty minutes. She then took the keys from under the porch mat, opening the door. It was dark and empty.

She looked around and smiled sadly, remembering all the good and bad memories that she had in that house. Elena had grown up there, this was her parents house, and she felt like the last piece of them that was still attached to her had disappeared in that moment.

She took a sit on the stairs, allowing a few tears to escape. She couldn't believe that she was moving, that she was leaving everything behind. Elena loved her house, there were more good memories than bad ones.

She remembered how her mother was always cooking for her when she got home from school. The fights with Jeremy for the remote. How her father got home always at this hour, kissing her mother on the cheek.

The few tears were now a cry, but Elena needed this outburst. No one would have seen her. She really didn't feel like crying in public, or just crying for that matter, but now she felt the need.

After going on like this for the next few minutes, she wiped her tears away, rosing up. Jenna had left some of her clothes and her most important things in her room, so she was able to put them in her suitcase.

She packed quickly, not really wanting to stay in the house for another minute. It made her too depressed. She took her suitcase and when she was at the door, she took one last glance at the house before going out.

* * *

><p>"What do you want for dinner? I don't know if Elena is going to be here at time, so for now I'm just gonna cook for you." Damon said to Jamie. Stefan, in one of his other heavy rules, had specified that Jamie had to eat early. He couldn't help but roll his eyes when he found a note full of other rules in Jamie's suitcase. His brother was such a pain in the ass. He wouldn't have been surprised if Stefan had to decide even when he had to go to the bathroom.<p>

"Pasta?" Jamie asked smiling, looking up at him.

Damon smiled at him. "Pasta it is, then."

Just then he heard the doorbell rang. "This is probably Elena. Would you go open?" He asked to his nephew while preparing the ingredients.

Damon was a good cooker. His Italian origins weren't wasted. He loved looking and helping his mother cooking when he was little, he had learnt a lot from her, and the few times that they went to Italy he had experienced the best plates.

Jamie went to open the door, just to return a few seconds later.

"Uhm..Uncle Damon, there's a woman at the door. She has a long nose..do I let her in?"

Damon raised his eyebrows. Who the hell could it be?

"Wait here, I'm gonna see who it is. Check your pasta meanwhile." He said while heading to the door.

He wanted to stop in his tracks and roll his eyes at who he saw.

"Andie, what are you doing here?" He asked surprised, if not a little annoyed. He hated when chicks did those things, that was why he didn't go for real relationships, they would become too sticky and they were always around.

"Surprise!" She said sing-songing.

"And you should know that I hate them." He said mocking her tone, with a sarcastic smile.

She rolled her eyes. "Seriously? And who is the kid anyway, are you babysitting now?" She said laughing, quickly fading it when she saw that he was still serious.

"He's my brother's son. I have to take care of him for a while, I would have told you the next time."

"What a drag." She muttered rolling her eyes, and his expression hardened.

"Well, can I come in, so I get to know him?" She said, making to come inside.

"No." Damon just replied, still holding the door.

Andie huffed and crossed her arms. "Damon, you gotta stop being such an asshole to me. Or you won't get any for the next two weeks." She said firmly.

"Oh damn, Andie, you're killing me.." He said faking to be upset, putting his hand on his heart. "As if I won't be able to get any somewhere else." He then said serious, rolling his eyes at her naivety.

When he heard Elena's car arriving, Damon was somehow glad. This would have turned into a big, useless argument.

Andie turned around to see who it was, hardening her expression when she saw the girl heading towards them. And with a suitcase.

"Hi." Elena said shyly, looking between the two of them. Damon had an amused look on his face – as if it was news -, and the girl in front of him was glaring at her with a killer look.

"Elena." She said, heading her hand at the other girl. She had a known face. Was she the reporter who worked on Action News?

Andie made a sarcastic noise, looking at Damon again.

"Who's this slut?" She snapped at him.

At that Elena's hand dropped down, as her jaw.

"Excuse me?" Elena said in disbelief.

"You heard me. He's my man and you're a stupid slut, you better get the fuck out of here!" Andie shouted, pushing her.

"What the hell! Don't touch me!" She shouted back.

Elena really didn't like reaching the hands, and she wasn't a person who liked to start fights either. But this moron had seriously pissed her off.

At that Damon rolled his eyes, going between them.

"Whoa. Keep your hands there, Andie. She's just Jamie's nanny, and she's staying here for a while. Now please calm the fuck down." He said annoyed. Andie was still fuming. His body was between hers and Andie's, giving the back to Elena. It seemed somehow protective.

"That's unbelievable. You barely make me sleep in your bed, and this bitch gets to move in your house?" She said, slamming her foot.

Elena shook her head. What a great start.

"Look, I'm going inside before I slap this bitch in the face." She said heading inside, muttering something like how some people are just out of their minds.

When Elena was out of sight, Andie made to slap Damon in the face, but he quickly held her wirst in place.

"You don't get to slap me without a reason. One, we are not together, and that's the last time that I'm gonna say this to you. And two, I'm not a liar. If I was fucking her I would have told you. Now please go." He said serious.

"You suck, Damon." She said making a disgusted face and going away.

Damon huffed in frustration, slamming the door behind him.

He went in the kitchen finding Jamie eating his spaghetti, and Elena setting the table.

"I'm sorry for that." He said, going towards her to help her out.

"No problem." She said smiling slightly, still pretty pissed off though.

"If anything, I've just screwed your relationship. I'm sorry." She said apologetically. Or not to so much, since that woman seemed to be hysterical.

He placed himself behind her, so he could take the glasses.

"We were doing just that, screwing." She felt his hot breath saying into her hear. She looked at him and smiled awkwardly, and he just smirked.

"No need to worry." He then said still smirking, and making her blush.

The more she looked at him, the more she realized that he was the sexiest thing ever. He could as well have been a model, or an actor for that matter. She had heard things about him, even from Caroline, but never she thought of something like that. This was going to be awkward, Elena knew it. She couldn't allow herself to develope some sort of stupid crush for the unreachable guy, like she was in highschool. Just no.

"Where's the woman with the long nose?" Jamie asked, and Elena chuckled under her breath at his comment. Actually yeah, even on TV that woman never inspired so much liking.

"She reminds me of a moray." He then said, and at that Elena couldn't help but burst into laughter. Could you be a soulmate of a five years old?

Damon chuckled too, shooking his head. "You really like her I can say." He said to Jamie, noticing Elena's beautiful laugh.

"Kidding." He then said when he saw Jamie's confused expression. "How's your pasta?"

"Yummy. You're better than dad at cooking!" He exclaimed.

Damon ruffed his hair. "I can assure you that it's not the only thing in which I'm better than him." He winked at him, then moving his glance towards Elena who just rolled her eyes amused. Could he ever stop making sexual innuendos? And in front of a kid!

The night went very well though, and Elena congratuled Damon for his pasta. He was half Italian and you could really say it.

Elena then brought Jamie in his room, chatting with him for a while before he fell asleep.

"Which room can I take?" She asked to Damon when she went downstairs.

"I'll show you." He said, smiling a little and heading for upstairs.

He took her into one that was two rooms after Jamie's one. That house was such a maison. Stefan told her that it even had a back yard with a pool and a yacuzzi. She could only imagine what a type like Damon could do with such things…she quickly shook disturbing thoughts out of her mind.

"This is Stefan's old room. It's very nice and quiet..and you have your own bathroom." He said while opening the door for her.

The room was very big. It had a double bed, and even if it was a little ancient, it was still very classy and comfortable.

"Wow. That's very beautiful. Thank you, Damon." She said gently. Looking at him and smiling.

"No guys in here, okay?" He teased her.

Elena blushed for the thousand time today, and quickly opened her mouth to say something. It wasn't like she had someone to bring, though. She and Matt had broken up a couple of months ago. They had been together for a long time, he had been her first love, but then they just grew apart.

She was sad at the beginning, because she was used to always have him around ever since she was in highschool. But now it was okay, they were still good friends after all.

"Don't worry, you won't see anyone." She said shyly.

He smirked and put his hand on her shoulder. "Elena..I was kidding. Unless you party hard or burn down the house it's fine." He chuckled.

She laughed a bit too and then noticed that he still had his hand on her shoulder. A shiver passed through her spine, and when she looked at him in the eyes she felt uncomfortable. He was looking at her again with that look, his penetrating look, and once again she felt naked. She could say that he felt it too because he quickly removed his hand, heading towards the door.

Elena couldn't help but checking him out from behind. He had large shoulders and his biceps were very good too, she could see them well from his t-shirt. She nodded approvingly. Then, he turned around.

"Goodnight, Elena." He said smirking.

"Goodnight." She just said, and she had the feeling that he knew exactly that she had checked him out, since he was still smirking out of the door. He was so full of himself for his own good.

Damon took a quick shower before going to bed. When he checked his phone on his bedside table, he saw that he had three missed calls from broody. He called him back.

"Hello?" Stefan answered at the first ring.

"Hello, brother."

"Damon! I've tried to call you, is everything okay?" He asked concerned.

Damon rolled his eyes, thing that happened pratically always when he was talking to his anxious brother.

"Yes Stefan, everything is fine. Are you planning on ask this every single day?" He said annoyed.

"I was just asking. Jamie?" He asked.

"He's okay. He fell asleep."

"You remember that you have to bring him to school, right? Wake him up at seven."

Damon huffed. "Elena can do it. There's no way that I'm going to wake up at seven in the morning five times at week." He said as if it was the most obvious thing ever.

"Absolutely not, Damon. Elena goes at the university in the morning, she can't do that, and that's not her job anyway." Stefan said serious.

Damon made an annoyed 'mmm' but then agreed. "Fine. Something else?"

"Elena is a very nice girl. Don't play with her. She's one of Caroline's closest friends, she wouldn't forgive you." Stefan said warningly.

"Too late. She's currently making me a blowjob while we're talking." He teased his brother, and chuckled softly.

He could pratically see Stefan panicking from the other line.

"What?" He whispered.

"I'm joking. You're too dupe, Stefan." Damon said rolling his eyes.

"You're not funny! Stop it Damon. I have to go now, I'll call you tomorrow." Stefan said a little annoyed.

"Night. I'll say hello to Elena from you, now we were about to do it doggy style." He said chuckling.

He heard a pissed off Stefan muttering something and hanging up.

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><p><strong>Please review! :)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a week and everything seemed to go just fine. Beside his brother's unbelievably brooding, annoying and boring calls and recommendations.

It was just unbelievable how Stefan could repeat the same things every single time that he called, that is that Damon didn't even listen to him anymore. He just nodded and agreed without even listening to him.

He could say that Jamie though missed Stefan, and was truly happy everytime that he got to talk with his father. Blondie Caroline seemed to adore Jamie too, in fact each time that he called Stefan she would spend five or ten minutes talking to Jamie.

He was glad of it, truthfully. Jamie didn't have a stable maternal figure, he never did, and Damon first could understand what it meant. When Damon and Stefan's mother died, they were little. The cancer took her away from them in just a few months and he still remembered how hard Stefan cried on his shoulder at her funeral, sneaking in his bed at nights, and how he had asked him to never leave him. Those were for sure the moments where Damon had grown up the most, where he had felt responability towards his little brother. He didn't cry at his mother's funeral, he held back his tears for Stefan. To be strong for him. Jamie's mother wans't dead, though. That selfish little bitch of Katherine just left from one day to another, not bothering to say something in all the years. And here he was supporting Stefan once again.

Then he thought about Elena. Jamie loved her too, there was such a devotion when he talked about Elena, it was like he could see her as a big sister.

Damon on the other hand had been attracted to her from the first moment he met her, but in the last week he got to know her a little more and well, and he had started to genuinely appreciate her presence. He liked to spend most evenings with her and Jamie, it was a good feeling. Anyway he stayed faithful to the promise that he made to his brother, he wouldn't have tried to seduce her. Actually, he didn't even know if Elena would have 'played with him' in the first place. Sure he knew that she was attracted to him too, since lots of times he caught her staring at him or laughing a bit too much at some jokes or things that he said, but he didn't even know if she had a boyfriend. I mean, have you seen her? It would be strange if she didn't. Neither of them went there though, so Damon didn't ask.

Still sleeping lazily, he then felt a presence near him.

"Uncle Damon wake up! We're gonna be late!" Jamie exclaimed as he shook him lightly.

Damon looked up at him with sleepy eyes. He was already fully dressed with his backpack on the shoulders. Damon, on the other hand, fully convinced that it was a lovely Sunday morning was still laying in his bed half asleep and half naked.

Jamie huffed and shook his head. "It's been a week and you still don't remember!". Here, in those situations you could really say that he was Stefan's son. Same annoying anxiety.

Damon quickly stood up, rubbing his eyes. "I'm sorry Jam. I'll be ready in a minute, wait me downstairs." He said rosing up and going to the bathroom.

He was ready in a matter of seconds, heading to the kitchen for a quick coffee. When he entered the kitchen, he smelled coffee and waffles.

"Goodmorning." Elena said with a bright smile.

"Morning." Damon said lazily, heading for the coffee.

"Aren't you gonna be late?" Elena suddenly asked a little concerned, cocking her eyebrows.

Damon gave her a sarcastic smile. "Thank you, Captain Obvious. But I need my coffee anyways, even if we were sinking on the Titanic."

Elena rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, I was just saying. For his age Jamie is a pretty anxious kid..I would say just like his father." She chuckled.

"Touché." He smirked. "You know even talking to Stefan on the phone makes _me_ nervous. That poor little kid will lose it in a matter of years." He said, shooking his head.

Elena laughed. "Want to stay for breakfast? Five minutes more won't hurt. And you have a terrible face, to be honest." She said checking his face out.

"Yeah..I got home pretty late last night." He said casually, moving to pick a cup of coffee.

"Oh." She just said, awkwardly. She knew that Damon proably had his circle of friends, and obviously women, but she didn't dare to ask.

When she tried to move and he did the same, they accidentally bumped into each other.

Elena blushed, and seeing her immediate reaction, Damon smirked smugly. He put some of the hair that had fallen into her face behind her hear, smiling at her knowingly. She, per usual, stared at his lips because for some strange reasons her brain wanted her obsessed with his lips.

Their little bubble quickly burst when Damon's phone started ringing.

"Hello?" He answered, picking it from his pocket.

"Damon Salvatore?" The autoritary female voice asked from the other line.

"Yes?" He asked confused.

"I'm Jamie's principal, your brother Stefan told me that in case of emergency I could contact you." She explained.

"Oh, sure, tell me everything." He then said, pacing around the room.

Elena eyed him suspiciously, this autoritary manner was kinda sexy.

"Sorry for telling you this late, but today school is closed. We have some internal problems with the heating and the current and it needs to be fixed. Again, I apologize in advace if you were already on your way, or here. Oh…and Mr. Salvatore, when you can, I'd like to meet you. To talk about Jamie. I'm going to call you in a few days." She said politely.

"Sure, no problem. We'll keep in touch. Thank you." Damon said calmly, ending the conversation.

Once hanged up, he threw the phone on the counter.

He noticed Elena's look as in telling him that he wasn't completely normal.

He snorted. "It was Jamie's principal. No school today. Yeah, well thank you very much for telling me about this after kicking me out of the bed." He said annoyed.

Elena chuckled. "Well, it's not like you didn't have to wake up anyways. You're so lazy." She pointed out.

"Yeah, whatever." He said rolling his eyes.

His head hurt like crazy and he just wanted so badly to go back to bed and sleep for the next week. In fact, that was exactly what he was going to do. Sort of.

"Are you ready?" Jamie appeared on the kitchen door with an expectant look.

"Good news. No school today." Damon said trying to sound 'happy', or excited, or whatever you needed to sound when you told a kid that he didn't have to go to school.

Jamie gave him a confused look. "Just put that backpack down." Damon just said, rolling his eyes.

"Your principal called me and told me that school's closed today. Go back to sleep if you want." He said while sipping his coffee.

Jamie seemed to think about it for a few seconds, before repling with his tiny but already autoritary tone. "I need to buy some school stuff..can you bring me at the store? Since you're already up.."

Damon almost choked in his coffee. "At eight in the morning?" He said rosing his eyebrows.

"I can bring him, today I don't have to go to the university and I'm already up, _fully awake_." Elena shrugged, teasing him with her last words.

Damon eyed her. "No..it's okay, but you can come with us, if you want to." He said casually. Apparently knowing that Elena would have come made things more exciting.

"Okay." She just smiled. "Now Jamie why don't you eat some waffles, I know you adore them." Elena said, ruffing Jamie's hair.

"Don't. They're poisoned." Damon whispered, smirking.

Elena rolled her eyes, half amused, half annoyed. "I heard you!" She shouted, walking upstairs to go and get dressed.

Fifteen minutes later, after Jamie ate lots of waffles and drank a glass of milk, they headed towards the Mystic Falls mall with Damon's car.

While in the car, Elena's phone rang. She took it from her bag and looked the ID. It was Caroline.

Smiling, she picked up the call. "Caroline!" She said cheerfully.

"Lena! How are you? I already miss you, and here's a total bore.." her friend complained.

"Oh please. You get to stay with your boyfriend, completely alone, and you don't have to think about anything else. What else do you want?" Elena teased.

"Being with Stefan is not that funny, you know. I don't wish to anyone two months alone with him.." She heard Damon muttering, and she rolled her eyes.

"I know, but Stefan's always busy with that douche bag of his father. Plus I've already been doing shopping in pratically all the most beautiful shops of the city." Caroline said all proudly.

Elena rolled her eyes, amused. "I can only imagine."

"Ha! Look, how are things going with Jamie…and Damon? Stefan told me that you're staying at the boarding house. Be careful with him, he's a total womanizer. And he's pratically sex on legs. Look, I know that you're sexually frustrated because you aren't getting any for a while now, so if you want to let yourself go..go for Damon!" Caroline said all giggling.

"Yeah Jamie's alright. Everything is going fine." Elena quickly replied, blushing like crazy at Caroline's words. She felt Damon's eyes on her for an istant and she blushed even more.

"You can't talk, can you?" Caroline asked amused. God how she loved gossip. Elena knew that Caroline would have called her later, wanting all the juicy news. Pity for her that there wasn't even one.

"No..not really." She shrugged it off, hoping that Caroline would have had the decency to take the hint and at least call her later.

She heard her giggling. "Okay. We'll catch up later. And I want to know everything."

"Bye Caroline..oh, wait, you want to talk with Jamie?" Elena asked.

"Isn't he at school?" She asked a little surprised.

"Nope." Elena replied, popping the 'p'.

"Ah, okay."

"It's Caroline, Jam." Elena said heading him the phone. A bright smile literally widened across Jamie's features. It was clear that he adored her.

Elena didn't really know if Caroline wanted kids, but she could say that she loved Jamie very much.

"So, is everything okay?" Damon asked, once Jamie started talking to Caroline.

"Yes. She and Stefan are having a great time." Elena replied casually, smiling and trying to cover her blush, knowing what else Caroline actually mentioned.

"Great." Damon winked.

Five minutes later they arrived at the mall, which was pretty big to be one in Mystic Falls.

Once in, Damon took Jamie's hand, just to keep him in sight and because they place was really really huge for a kid. They could easily get lost.

Elena found the gesture very sweet; she thought that despite his badass facade, Damon had a very protective and caring side.

They took the escalators, which took them to the third floor, where Jamie found the store that he needed.

"I'm gonna take a look around, if you don't mind." She said politely to Jamie and Damon before they headed to the store.

"No problem. Meet us here in thirty minutes?" He asked, shrugging.

"Okay. Here in thirty minutes." She replied, heading towards the other stores.

She looked around, but found nothing particulary interesting. The mall was pretty huge, but consindering that Elena wasn't a shopaholic like Caroline, she could easily go inside Prada, Mark Jacobs, and such without buying anything. For a moment she thought about Victoria's Secret..but she quickly pulled the thought away, since she had no one to wear those things for anyway. Keep walking with her Starbucks hot coffee in the hands, she glanced at one H&M dress and she kinda fell in love with it. Not kinda, she actually did. It had flowers as a theme, but not those heavy ones to look at like old ladies, it was fresh and attractive. It wasn't too short, it could have easily reached her mid thigh with her long legs, and it had long sleeves a little loosened at the end, with a see-not see neckline.

She quickly finished her Starbucks coffee before heading inside and trying on the dress. She looked at herself in the mirror of the dressing room and she unconsciously smiled. It fit perfectly. It was tight around her perfect body, but not too much, and it gave her a feisty look.

Elena didn't quite understand why, but when she looked at herself and felt impressed on how well she looked, she immediatly thought about Damon. She wanted to look good and sexy for him. She instantly frowned, cursing herself for thinking such a stupid thing. She just had to stop crushing on him like she was a horny teenager at her first crush.

The shop assistant looked at her and her eyes widened a bit.

"Wow. You look flawless in that, girl." She said shooking her head approvingly, and Elena could see that she was being honest, not like the usual assistants who told you you looked good even in a sack.

"You think?" Elena asked smiling shyly, putting a lock of her hair behind her ears.

"Absolutely. Your boyfriend will probably drool all over you." She smirked a little, crossing her arms.

Elena didn't have a boyfriend, but she replied anyway. "Let's hope." She just said, before heading inside the dressing room and changing again.

When she went at their meeting point, her eyes fell on Damon, who was leaning with his back casually against a wall..looking insanely hot.

He immediatly smiled at her, a little too mischievously for Elena.

"Shopping?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Just a little thing." She said casually, and smiling shyly again like in the store.

He looked at her again with that mischevious smirk, and she wanted to roll her eyes. He was such a flirt.

She quickly headed towards Jamie. "So? What did you buy that was so urgent?" She asked smiling.

"Five exercises books, three pens; black, blue and red. And then some stuff that I need for a school project." He replied all proudly.

"Good." Elena said still smiling, tapping his nose.

Damon rolled his eyes from behind, and Elena chuckled soflty. He did have a point when he said that Stefan and Jamie were actually quite similiar about anxiety and precision.

"Oookay..are we all done?" Damon asked a little annoyed.

"Yes. Sorry if we took one hour of your precious time. I don't know how I could ever repay you for such a favor!" Elena said mocking his tone, teasing.

He rolled his eyes. "Very funny. Let's go." He said, grabbing Jamie's shoulders, and unconciously Elena's waist ligthly to bring them to the escalators. When they both noticed the move, Damon retracted his hand away as if it was burned. What was wrong with him?

* * *

><p>At home, Jamie sat on the couch, watching some TV.<p>

Elena offered to prepare the lunch, but when she looked inside the fridge, she noticed that there wasn't really so much to eat.

"Damon?" She called.

"Yesss?" He replied, entering the kitchen.

"We're out of food. And you were supposed to take care about this…yesterday." She said glancing at him angrily, placing her hands on her hips.

"Don't look at me with those judgy little eyes." He said rolling his eyes.

When he noticed that she was still stubborningly glancing at him, he snorted.

"Fine. Damon the slave is going out again, doing some shopping like a sweet little housewife." He said sarcastically. He was clearly so not used to buy things such vegetables, fruit and more. His lifestyle was quite different. He didn't have the need to settle himself like a home boy.

Elena rolled her eyes, a little annoyed. "Damon. You're not doing this for me, or for you, you're doing this for your nephew. As far as I'm concerned, I could eat some junk food or directly going to McDonalds, but he's a kid, now we don't want him eating this stuff everyday, do we?" She asked raising her eyebrows as a matter of factly.

"I guess not." He said still a little annoyed, but Elena could see that he got her point.

When he was out, she gave another look at Jamie who was still watching cartoons, and quickly headed upstairs.

She threw herself on the bed, a little exhausted. She was slowly falling asleep..or so she thought, since her phone rang a minute after. She snorted and picked it up.

"Yes?" She asked, not bothering to cover her annoyed voice.

"Then?" Caroline's curious and expecting voice said from the other line.

Elena rolled her eyes. She should have thought that Caroline wouldn't let go that easily.

"Then what?" Elena asked, playing dumb.

"What about Damon, Elena." Her friend replied, and she could see her giving her a pointing look even from the phone.

"What about him? Nothing. He's okay. He's nice." Elen said trying to sound indifferent, but her tone faded a little when she said the word 'nice'.

She listened Caroline hesitating for a few seconds. "Mmmh..ain't buying it. You like him. Well, but who wouldn't…he's bad news, though." She then said.

"First of all, how do you even know that I like him? And two, he may be bad news, but with his nephew he's very sweet." She felt the urge to stand for him, because it was true.

Caroline chuckled from the other line, and spoke again, mocking her tone. "First of all, when you like a guy you're usually too stubborn to admit it so you fake indifference like now. It's when you actually feel indifference for a guy that you talk about him without that tone that you just used. And two, I have no doubts that he's a piece of gold with Jamie, but I'm talking about women. He's a heartbreaker. Sure, if you just want to be fuck buddies…I bet he's all for it." Caroline said mischeviously.

Elena blushed. Deeply. Caroline was running way too fast. And Elena didn't do 'fuck buddies', even if it happened to be Johnny Depp they were talking about.

"Caroline!" She shouted annoyed. "Drop it. You're making movies in your head. Maybe you should really come back from this trip, if it's flipping your brain.." She warned.

Caroline hummed in annoyance. "Fine, okay, whatever. I'll keep my mouth shout. I'm just saying that you should let loose a bit Lena. That's it. And Damon is the one who could help you with that, even if you had sex, he would never hold it against you. Trust me. He's slept with a bunch of my friends and I know these things!" She exclaimed.

Elena seemed to think about it for a second, but she quickly felt guilty about it.

"Look, Caroline, I'm here to work. That's my job. I can't just sleep around with the guy I work for..especially with Jamie here." Elena explained.

"Okay." Caroline said, and Elena could hear her pouting.

"Don't you pout Care! What do you want me to do? Sleep around? I'm so not that type." Elena said fiercely.

Then Elena thought about something that she was thinking about after she knew about that party, which was told to her yesterday, and decided to share it with Caroline and relieve her pointless pout.

"But.." She started hesitantly. "You know Tina? She's throwing a party tomorrow, and you know how these things works, if you don't have a date then you're lame. So I thought that I could ask Damon, since he loves partying and.." She was saying, when she heard Caroline squealing from the other line.

She rolled her eyes at her friend's ovverreacted excitement.

"Awesome! Ask him then. Relaxing a little doesn't necessarly mean sex, you're just going to have some fun." She said convinced.

"So you're sure? I should ask him?" Elena said, worring her bottom lip.

"Sure!" She kept saying.

"But..but what about Jamie?" Elena then asked, feeling a little disappointed already, but guilty for Jamie.

"You can leave him to a friend. Stefan and I do it sometimes, Jam has a couple of very good friends, you could ask to one of their mother's…" She explained.

"Okay. Then I'll do it. Wish me luck, since I will feel so awkward." Elena said, inhaling deeply.

"My god Lena, you're making such a big deal. You're so naive. It's not like you have to ask him to marry you..it's a freaking date. Just go for it." Caroline said exhasperated.

"But good luck, anyway..and have a great sex. I heard that that thing that he does with his hi –"

Elena's eyed widened at her friend's crudity, and she blushed a little. "Bye, Caroline!" She said hanging up on her.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review! :)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry guys if it took me so long! But you know RL and school are being pretty hard.. :\ I hope that you enjoy the update, though.**

**Please review! Your reviews mean a lot to me. I hope you know that. Keep them coming. :)  
><strong>

* * *

><p>It had been three days and she still didn't have the balls to ask Damon out for a stupid date. Which, to be correct, wasn't even a real date. But just a favor that she would ask him, right? She didn't want to sound needy, or too invadent for that matter. He would probably think that she didn't have anyone else to ask beside him, and having pity of her, he would have accepted.<p>

Elena looked at herself in the mirror, and taking a deep breath, she tried some poses and ways to ask him.

"Hey, Damon..I was wondering if you would go with me somewhere." She said in a low voice.

No. Too mischevious, she thought.

"Hey Damon. Would you come with me to a party?" She tried, shrugging her shoulders casuallt and smiling widely.

No no _no_. Too girly!

"You. Me. To a party together. Friday night." She spat firmly.

Oh my god, what was that? She could as well have been a robot.

She sighed in exasperation shooking her head. What a disaster she was.

It had been too long since she went out with a guy, and to be quite honest she had never asked a guy out, even if this really wasn't a real date.

Maybe she could ask Matt, she thought. After all, they were still friends, he would have helped her out. Being the coward that she was, she decided to call Matt. She quickly dialed his number and he answered in a few seconds.

"Hey Matty! How are you?" She asked, smiling. They now met often at the Grill where Matt had a job, but they weren't in touch as before.

"Elena! Fine, thanks..what about you?" He replied, though he seemed a little distracted.

"All good. Listen, I was wondering if you would be my date at Meredith's party on Friday. Don't worry, just as friends." She said a little tense, reassuring him.

He seemed hesitant for a moment, and when he finally spoke, she could understand from his voice that it was no good.  
>"Look Elena..I would love to, really. But I'm already going with someone. Actually..I'm seeing Meredith." He said very uncomfortably.<p>

And hell yes she could understand why he was so freaking uncomfortable. Meredith Sulez and Elena weren't friends, at all. They were back in highschool, but she had been a total bitch with her, and when after her parents' death Elena decided to stop with her feisty lifestyile, Meredith completely shut her out, and told everyone that the old Elena 'died with her parents'.

When she heard that comment Elena had been devastated for months, not able to understand how a person could be so cruel and mean.

Meredith had apologized, but it didn't matter anymore, they were done.

Actually she didn't know why she wanted to go at that stupid party. After all it was organized by a person that Elena couldn't stand, but going with Damon as her date and proving to that bitch that she was living and enjoying her life gave Elena satisfaction.

"Oh. Whatever then, see you at the party." Elena cut off shortly, before she would curse at him on the phone for having betrayed her like that.

That gave her more courage to ask Damon out and she quickly headed downstairs where Damon was watching a movie with Jamie.

They were sitting on the couch, and Elena leaned closer to Damon, whispering into his ear.

"I have to ask you something." She whispered, not wanting to disturb Jamie who seemed pretty much into that movie. Damon on the other hand was just texting on the phone.

He quickly turned around, so close that their cheeks were almost touching and Elena immediatly felt uncomfortable. Her heart started beating a little faster and the low voice that he made didn't help.

"Anything you want, honey." He said smirking cockily, rosing up from the couch.

His cocky attitude annoyed Elena at first, it actually made her kind of uncomfortable, but now she was used to it. She actually liked that.

They were now in the kitchen and he still had a bit of his smirk in place. Holy crap, Elena thought. She wasn't usually an insecure person, though her self-esteem sure wasn't of the highest, especially when you had to ask out one Damon Salvatore.

"I..uhm…" Stop acting so awkwardly, she yelled at herself. "I have a party to attend this week-end and I would really like if you came with me."

His smirk became a grin, and Elena felt more relaxed. She had somehow managed to finally spat what bugged her mind for three days, and she did fine.

He came closer, crossing his arms. "Mmh..I would come with you everywhere." He said mischeviousely.

Elena was confused at first, but blushed immediatly when she understood his sexual innuendo. Pig!

"Quit the crap, Damon." She said punching his arm and rolling her eyes. "So?" She then asked, crossing her arms.

"Okay. When is it?" He asked still with an amused look on the face.

"Friday night, around 9 or 10pm." She said.

He seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Mmh, the only problem is where we can leave Jamie. Or maybe you could ask one of your friends to stay with him? I would pay her, obviously." He said.

Sure Elena had some casual friends, but her closest and the ones she trusted completely for something like that, weren't available.

"You know what..maybe it's a wrong idea. I really have no one to ask, at least no one that I trust completely. You should stay." She said with disappointment in her voice.

"No way." He said a little too quickly, which only made Elena feel a little smug inside. He really did want to come with her.

"I mean I can ask to one of his friends mother, or I can ask to one of my friends." He said, shrugging.

Elena raised her eyebrows, amused. "Why..you have any girl friend?" She asked incredulously.

"Oh gee thanks Elena, it's not like I screw with every girl I know, you know." He said, rolling his eyes. When he saw that she still had that 'oh really?' expression on her face he snorted. "Okay fine..I may have slept with almost every woman I know." He admitted a little annoyed.

"But.." He pointed out, and his smirk returned. "you and me are friends..aren't we?" He asked.

Elena gulped tightly. "Sure." She replied giving him a little smile. "Let me know if you find someone, okay." She said, heading out of the door and going back upstairs.

Little did she know that Damon stared at her the whole time with that knowing smirk of his.

Elena took a deep breath once in the room. Damn that Damon, he made her feel like an highschool girl at her first crush. Or maybe she was just crushing on him, but she didn't quite remember the feeling of really liking someone ever since Matt. But even with him, the attraction never really was like that.

Caroline was bugging her every hour, dying to know if she asked Damon or not, so she dialed her number to finally tell her.

"Hello?" Caroline's girly voice answered.

"Care? I asked him!" Elena said smiling amused, already predicting her friend's reaction.

In fact, she was already squealing. The girl really got excited for nothing! "Awww! Good girl. And what did our sexy beast say?"

"Caroline!" Elena said blushing. "Anyway he said yes. But now I'm panicking..Caroline, I really like him. He's the first guy that I really like since Matt and I don't know how to act around him. He makes me feel uncomfortable." She admitted.

"Elena, he's no good news. I already told you. Going out and having fun for a night, yes. Thinking about having something more with him, no." Caroline said in a warning tone. "And he makes you feel uncomfortable because he probably sexs you with his eyes every chance he has." She then said, and Elena could imagine her rolling her eyes.

"My god Caroline, don't jump to any conclusion. I just said that I like him, that's it." Elena said annoyed. "So..do I curl my hair or not?" She then asked, quickly switching argument.

"Mmh..yes, why not. But just a little bit of curls at the end." She said. "And oh, did you already decide the outfit? You have to see how much I bought here! Did I already mention that I've pratically sabotaged all the shops in this goddamn city? And the other day I went to a perfume shop and while I was trying a lipstick one of the shop assistants aksed me if I wanted to try some of their make-ups and they actually tried on me lipsticks, mascaras..everything! I got out of the shop that I seemed an actress." She started squealing over the phone.

"Wow Care, that's great. Have you bought me something in your maraton of shopping though?" Elena teased.

"Pff, of course, silly. One pair of shoes and a shirt. They're so you." She said.

They probably weren't really her style, more Caroline's wanna be, but still Caroline had usually good tastes.

"Thank you Care. But you didn't have to..it's too much. A stupid thing would have been okay you know that."

"Yeah, yeah right..I know that you're happy and you sure as hell didn't want a stupid crappy thing Elena." She said. "Now I have to go! I reserved a massage at the hotel SPA. Aw Lena, when I get back and Bonnie comes to visit we have to go on a girls week-end alright."

"I'm jealous, I want a massage too!" Elena whined.

"You can always ask Damon.." Caroline teased.

"Good bye, Caroline." Elena cut her off, rolling her eyes.

* * *

><p>Two days passed quickly and now it was 8pm, which meant that she had to get ready..she wanted to appear flawless.<p>

The party didn't start until 9 or 10, but Elena wanted to be perfect in every single detail. She took a hot and relaxig bath, appling some body cream after to make her skin more soft and scented. She even decided to apply some purple enamel. Elena wasn't usually the type for enamel, at least not colored ones, but it was a night party and it made her look quite fiesty.

She then put her make-up on, paying attention to every deatil. She put some black eyebrow pencil, mascara, phard and a light rouge lipstick that matched perfectly with her olive skin. She then curled her hair just like Caroline told her.

Elena looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She was really satisfied with herself.

She put on the dress that she bought at H&M and it fitted perfectly, it was sexy but not too outragerous. Putting her black heels on she was ready.

But she wasn't ready, she thought. At all. Her heart started beating like a drum and her hands trembling. She had the need to throw up, but she knew that it was just mental. God, she was so nervous that she only hoped that Damon didn't notice it.

She took a few breaths before finally opening the door and heading downstairs.

Damon was waiting for her just under the stairs and the look on his face when he saw her was priceless. She smiled smugly when she saw his eyes wide and his jaw drop open. He composed himself quickly, but the look on his face still spoke volumes. Elena blushed slightly..not even Matt looked at her like that.

"You're...you're flawless, Elena." He said sincerely, and that was exactly what Elena was hoping for.

She then really looked at him and she could have sworn that her knees went weak a couple of times. He was perfectly shaved, the smell of his cologne or after shave was intoxicating. He was wearing black jeans, and a black t-shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He was the one who was flawless. He was for sure the most handsome man that she had ever seen.

She swallowed nervousely. "You too." She said with something that came out as a whisper. They just stared at each other for a few seconds, like they were sinking into each other's eyes. God his eyes…

They were quickly interrupted by Jamie who was waiting at the door. Damon talked to one of his friends mother and agreed to let him stay there for the week-end.

"Lena! You're beautiful." Jamie said with a naive smile.

"Thank you, Jam." Elena replied smiling, kneeling down in front of him, kissing his cheek.

"I agree.." Damon said to himself. It's not like he hadn't noticed how genuinely beautiful Elena was..but fuck, he got hard just looking at her all dressed up fancy like that. She was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her doe eyes, her long chesnut hair and long legs were something to pay for.

They dropped Jamie at his friend's house, and then headed to the party.

During the way, though, Damon could sense that Elena was getting always more nervous.

"Is everything okay?" He asked a little concerned.

"Yes…no." She sighed. "The girl that's throwing the party..I can't stand her, she's the classic superficial bitch. We used to be friends in highschool but she sort of backstabbed me and then it all went to hell.." She explained quickly.

"Elena..we don't have to go, if you don't want to. Why do you even want to go in the first place?" He asked softly.

"Because I want to prove her that she's wrong. She thinks that I've become a boring and annoying person ever since my parents died..and somehow this totally bugs me because she doesn't know the first thing about me. Plus, she's even dating my ex now. Wonderful, uh?" She said with sadness in her voice.

"What a moron." Damon said in a bitter voice, gripping the steering wheel a little too tight and shooking his head. "And your ex is even more." He said, and Elena chuckled.

"Hey.." He then said, "we'll prove her wrong, okay?" He said winking at her.

He definitely calmed her down. After all, he wasn't such a douche as everyone thought. It was just his superficial wall, but if you got to know him, he would probably let it down.

Damon parked a little bit far from the house. It was a maison, a little like the boarding house, but definitely smaller.

They could already see lots of cars parked and loud music coming from in, and Elena felt nervous again. She wasn't really the type who loved these kind of parties.

"Shall we?" Damon asked with a smirk, offering his arm.

Elena smiled nodding, quickly linking arms with him.

It was a little after 9:30pm, and the party was already a mess. Elena could bet that all Mystic Falls highschool was there.

"I'm gonna find a place for the jackets, be right back." Damon said and quickly disappeared.

He couldn't have chosen a better timing, since Meredith was heading towards her with a big fat fake smile plastered on her face.

"Heeey..Elena Gilbert! How are you, sweetie? I'm so glad that you decided to come." She said hugging her.

"Hey Meredith..I'm fine, thanks. And thank you for the invitation." Elena said, awkwardly hugging her back.

Matt joined them and Meredith immediatly took his hand, smiling smugly. What a bitch. Elena wasn't jealous, she had no more romantic feelings for Matt but still she felt betrayed. He had to move on..but not with Meredith, for god's sake.

"Aw..I'm sorry that you came here all alone, though. Matt told me that you were looking for someone." She said smirking.

Just when she was about to reply, Damon came back, putting his arm around her waist.

"Actually, she's with me." Damon said smirking, displaying the same bitchness as Meredith's. Oh right..Elena forgot that Damon could be quite the asshole.

The look on Matt's face was priceless, he seemed a dummy. He so didn't see that coming. And he looked a little jealous too, which only made Elena more smug. Takw that.

Meredith suddenly seemed surprised and pissed off. She acted all bitchy, when Elena actually came with the hottest guy in Mystic Falls.

"Damon Salvatore." He quickly said, heading his hand to Matt and then Meredith.

"I know who you are.." Meredith replied numbly, still looking at Damon in shock.

"Well, have fun, guys." She then said with that fake smile on her face.

She quickly disappeared in the crowd with Matt, who was still staring at them and in fact received a kick on the shoulder from Meredith.

Elena let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

"Thank you." She said to Damon, sincerely.

"And for what?" He replied, winking at her. "You were right anyway. The girl seems quite a bitch." He said while taking a glass of beer or whatever it was.

"Tell me about it.." Elena muttered, taking a drink too.

"And was that your ex?" Damon asked like he seemed surprised.

"Yes..why?" Elena asked a little confused. Why did he care?

"Oh nothing..it's just that he seems, you know, pretty lame. A bit dull." He said shrugging.

"Hey!" Elena said, punching his shoulder playfully.

"What? You can have far better.." He said casually, with seriousness in his voice though.

Elena smiled widely at him, taking his hand.

"Let's dance." She said, taking him where everyone was dancing.

Damon seemed a bit surprised at her movement, but pleased at the same time.

For the whole time they had been here Elena could see all the girls eyeing Damon and whispering and giggling everytime he passed. It somehow annoyed her, but when she saw that she was the only one he was paying attention to and looking at, her heart melted a little. And _how_ he was looking at her.

They were dancing at the notes of 'Futuristic Lovers', song that Elena loved.

It was revealed that Damon had really good moves on the dancefloor, and Elena got always more excited.

She had her back against his chest, her arm wrapped around his neck, their faces only inches apart. She could smell his fresh and intoxicating scent and all she wanted to do was kiss him and take him right there.

Along with her heart now something else was throbbing with desire..

He quickly spoon her around, making her collide against his chest once again.

She smiled at him and he returned her smile with a mischevious one. His hands were everywhere and Elena had the desperate need to kiss him.

When she was about to do it, though, he spoke.

"I'm going to take a drink." He said a bit huskily, and Elena unconsciously licked her lips.

They had been dancing for half an hour, she was exhausted and her feet hurt, so she waited for him sitting on one of the couches.

Damon was taking two glasses of water, when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder. He quickly turned around and saw Meredith making doe eyes at him.

He wanted to roll his eyes, but she wasn't even worth that.

"So..you're with little Elena Gilber, uh?" She said amused, getting closer.

"That's right, I'm with her. Got problems?" He said sarcastically, crossing his arms. He wanted to reach the point of this pointless conversation.

"Mmh..I see..well she's no good for you, Damon. I know what kind of girls you like. And she isn't stuff for you, she's lame." She said smugly, running a hand through his chest.

Damon just looked at her in disgust. The girl was really viscid. He gently but firmly took her hand off him, ready to leave.

"You know, that's a very handsome shirt." She said flirtariously.

He got closer, returning her flirtarious smile.

"That's a very pretty dress too.." he said, smirking. "But you should know that it gives you back fat." He then said codly.

He quickly left, leaving a speechless and pissed off Meredith behind.

Where was Damon? Maybe he found some girl that he liked? Elena thought, since they weren't even on a real date, he was allowed to do whatever he wanted.

She felt someone flopping on the couch next to her, but it wasn't Damon.

"How ya' doing, baby?" Tyler Lockwood.

Elena rolled her eyes, ready to leave. He was the classic manwhore jerk. Caroline dated him back in highschool but she got burned pretty bad.

"Bye, Tyler." She said annoyed.

He gripped her wrist, too tight. "Not so soon, honey." He said firmly.

He was quickly joined by his other friends, who were looking down at her, smiling and chuckling amused.

She felt like in highschool all over again. They used to bull her even back then.

"I have to say that you're quite changed..you're so much hotter now. Look at these boobs." Tyler laughed, pulling her dress.

"Don't touch me!" Elena yelled, shrugging him off.

He snorted. "God..you're always the same bore, Gilbert. Screw you." He said annoyed, then gesturing something with his head to his friends.

She saw them looking at each other amused, and then they quickly thrown all their drinks on her. They all laughed devilishly.

"Sucks to be you." Tyler said, throwing his own drink on her face.

They left laughing, and Elena felt tears blurring her eyes. She rose up running through the door, feeling more crappy than she had ever felt in her whole life.

"Hey I got.." It was Damon's voice, she bumped into him who had two drinks but she didn't care, she kept running through the exit.

Once she was out she started pacing even more faster, finally arriving at the car. She fell on the ground, now sobbing hard.

It was so humiliating, she felt like shit. Why did they have to do that? Just because Elena wasn't one of those sluts who agreed to sleep with that douche of Tyler? All her make-up was on her face and her dress was completely wet, and she started to get cold.

"Elena!" She heard someone yell.

In a second Damon was kneeled in front of her, with the most worried expression she had ever seen him wearing.

"Elena..what happened?" He asked, taking her hands from her face.

She just shook her head numby, really not knowing what to say.

She rose up, looking helplessy into his eyes, and he looked at her vulnerabily too, full of sorrow and even anger. "Oh, love..come here." He said, immediatly taking her into his arms and holding her tight.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, sobbing into his chest.

"Sshhh.." He said smoothly caressing her hair, kissing the top of her head.

"Why did they do that.." Elena sobbed, tightening her grip on him.

He then looked intensly into her eyes. "They who? What did they do to you, Elena?" He asked firmly. "Tell me…please." He said with rage, but trying to sound soft.

"Tyler Lockwood and his friends. They're friends with Meredith since highschool, I bet that it was her idea. They all hate me because I didn't follow their lifestyle..and today Tyler tried to hit on me again, but when I refused him, they thrown drinks at me." She said.

He didn't say anything, but she felt his breaths becoming heavier and when she looked up at him his jaw was clentched and his eyes were cold.

"Son of a bitch." He just said, escaping from her embrace, and heading for the house again.

"No!" Elena shouted. "Damon no, please. He's not worth it.." She said softly.

"No, Elena. Look at what those assholes did to you. They don't get to do that thinking that there won't be consequences." He said firmly. "Plus, I still have to get our jackets back. You stay here, I'm going." He then said with a devilish smirk.

Elena snorted in frustration, knowing that it was no good. Though she felt secretly happy about Damon kicking Tyler's ass.

She was nervously leaning against his car when 5 minutes later he got back, a smug smile on his face.

"Here's your jacket." He simply said, heading her the jacket.

He didn't have bruises or something.

"Damon.." Elena started.

"Tyler Lockwood is that tiny midget, right? I kicked his ass just a little. No worries." He said smirking.

She smiled too, feeling relieved that finally someone beat him up.

"Thank you." She said, hugging him.

He was stiff at the beginning, but then he quickly wrapped his arms around her too, pulling her closer.

"You're welcome." He said softly.

"You're my hero. Jamie would be proud of you." She teased giggling, and he chuckled too.

"I'm sure.." He said still smiling.

Just then Elena realized how close they were, and how badly she wanted to kiss him. She looked down at his lips, and then looked up at him.

Next thing she knew was that her lips crashed on his, savoring him. He seemed surprised, but he eventually deepened the kiss, their tongues battling for dominance.

She had never been kissed like that. Never. She could spend her whole life being kissed by Damon. A moan escaped from her mouth, which caused him to groan in response, cupping her cheeks with his hands.

Elena put her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as she kissed him more passionately.

He quickly stopped though. They were both catching their breaths.

"Elena.." He started, and she smiled when she saw that his lips had her lipstick on. Just when she was about to kiss him again, he stopped her.

"Stop." He said firmly, softly taking her whirsts.

She looked up at him confused, as she felt rejection taking form.

"I'm sorry Elena, but we can't do this." He said, and she felt like she had just been stabbed. "I'm not what you're searching for, believe me. I don't do relationships or girlfriends. You would just end up hurt and I respect you too much to do something like that to you." He said, with a pained expression on his face.

She just looked hurt and rejected. She thought that he really liked her, but she should have listened to Caroline. Damn, how she hated herself right now.

Inable to reply, she just stood there, while he got into the car.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hello there guys! :) I want to thank you all SO much for your kind reviews. Please keep them coming, they all mean a lot to me and they inspire me to go on. :) **

**This chappie is pretty much inner monologues, though. Both from Elena and Damon's POV. Next chapter will definitely have more DE and even Jamie scenes. ;) Let me know what you think. Xoxo**

* * *

><p>The way home was awfully quiet. Elena found herself feeling embarassed near Damon, which didn't really happen so often anymore. Actually, now she always felt like being near him was one of the easiest things ever, and that was tough to say since Elena didn't really trust or found herself comfortable around many people in general, and so wasn't Damon.<p>

In this case, though, she felt like buring her head in her hands and hiding forever. She had made a total gaffe with him..and she didn't realize how much it actually hurt being rejected by him. But who are you kidding, you knew from the beginning how he was and he sure as hell wouldn't have changed for you, a random silly girl on his list of conquers, she thought.

She shouldn't have gone that further. It was all her fault if things between them would have been awkward then. She was the one who kissed him, and she didn't have the right to. But she had wanted to kiss him _so_ badly.

She casually took a look at Damon from the corner of the eye. He seemed kinda stiff too, his eyes were on the road and his face unreadable.

"So…" He started, and her heart began to beat painfully fast.

Here it was. He was bringing the talk and make her feel a fool of herself more than she already felt.

"The party was kinda lame, uh?" He then asked, a little smile on his face.

He didn't, he totally switched subject and her embarassament diminished a little. Maybe it wasn't that important for him, after all. Thank God he wasn't one of those guys who brought things up until death; it was an innocent kiss, a mistake. They had probably both drunk too much.

But why did it hurt, still? There was nothing to talk about, Elena knew that, but she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"Yeah.." She said nodding, not really sure of what to say.

She made the terrible mistake to turn her head, catching his gaze just in that moment. He smiled at her tightly, though it seemed more of a sweet smile than a polite one. Elena recognized the difference. She tried to smile too, but she didn't know how credible it really seemed.

They finally got home, and Elena suddenly remembered that Jamie wasn't even there. Shit. At least if he was there it could have loosen up the tension a little, but now it was just the two of them…oh, no.

He pulled off in the drive way, and when she made to get out of the car, she saw that he was still sitting still.

"You're not coming?" She asked once she was out.

"I'm really not tired..I think I'll drive around for a while, grabbing a beer or something you know." He replied, smiling uncomfortably.

"Oh..sure, okay." Elena said. Sure.. "Good night then." She then said smiling.

"Night." He replied with a wink, and Elena's heart started beating a little faster again.

She noticed that when she had finally made it to the door, opening it, he was still there. Probably checking until she was in. Elena fould the gesture sweet, but she quickly shook off her dreamy thoughts.

It was a little after midnight. They didn't stay long at the party, especially after the Tyler accident. Elena cursed herself mentally for having agreed at going at that stupid party. She didn't have to please or prove anything to anyone, especially not Meredith.

Lazily, she went upstairs. She sat at the edge of her bed, sighing. What a day. Elena felt quite exhausted. It was late, and she still had to process everything that happened. And it was a lot, for her standards.

She suddenly noticed that she smelled of alcohol, thanks to those morons of Tyler and his friends. She went to the bathroom and instead of taking a quick shower, she opted for a hot and relaxing bath. Twice in a day.

After opening the water and waiting for it to fill the bathtub, she took her hair in a high ponytail and quickly removed her make-up.

A few minutes later the bath was ready. Getting in, she let the hot water relaxing her tensed muscles.

Elena tried, really tried, to take her mind off everything and just enjoy a few quiet moments of peace. But she still had Damon in the back of her mind and he just wouldn't go away.

* * *

><p>Damon had been driving around for an hour and still he couldn't keep Elena and that kiss out of his mind.<p>

What the hell, Salvatore, put your shit together, he thought. He wasn't feeling like this since..well, since ever. Did he really even care about someone, a girl, like he did with Elena? Probably just when he was a kid at his first crushes. It had been so damn difficult to reject her. Her beautiful doe eyes looking at him with such intensity, her swollen lips all over his..

The worst part was how she looked at him after. He had hurt her, he knew that. And he felt guilty about it. But why? He never really cared about hurting a woman even when he was in some sort of relationships with them. And still with Elena, a girl who he didn't even seduce or slept with, he felt like that. It was awful to stand. Damon wanted her. Her first weeks there he had even planned on sleeping with her despite his brother's recommendations. But now he just couldn't bare the idea of hurting her.

When he saw her crying because of that asshole of Tyler Lockwood before, Damon saw red, and he made sure of kicking that douche's ass very well. But it was no surprise that Tyler was so superficial and idiot. Damon knew his father, Richard, because he had always been great friends with Giuseppe. Oh well, douche per douche, he thought.

After stopping at the Grill and drinking two beers, Damon got stopped from the bartender when he said that he was driving. Fuck.

It was 1.30 am now and he really needed to get back before he passed out on the bar counter.

He promised to himself to not think about Elena and what happened, never again. Nothing at all happened, she was just one of the many girls that ended up falling for him. Nothing more nothing less.

Even though Damon really liked her, he kept that in mind. He really meant what he said. He was no good thing for a girl like her.

"Damon it's late, why don't you go home? I said that I can't give you more alcohol, I'm sorry." Ben, the bartender, said apologetically.

He stumbled a little on the stool. "Yeah..yeah, got it, ass." He muttered, and saw Ben giving him a dirty look for acting so rudely.

Walking out and letting the cool breeze hit his face, he sighed, thinking about how pathetic he was. The hell, he was oh-so going to forget about this little sort of stupid crush he had on Elena. At least he hoped.

* * *

><p>Elena woke up in the middle of the night, thirsty. The hot bath completely knocked her down, and she got in bed right after that.<p>

She lazily got up and headed for the stairs, paying attention in being quiet. It was 3am and pass and she really didn't want to wake Damon. Always if he got home..that is.

She noticed that the lights of the kitchen were on, though. She frowned a little. It was no secret that this house scared her. It was so big.

She quietly paced into the kitchen. She heard herself screaming when she bumped into something. Someone.

A man's chest. A man's naked chest. _Damon's_ naked chest!

She felt herself blushing uncontrollabily, both for her stupid little scream and for bumping into a half naked Damon.

"Quite a screamer.." He said with a smirk.

Oh, hey, welcome back dirty ass. What surprised her though was that she didn't feel annoyed or bothered by his comment, she had actually started to love even that side of him. She liked it.

"Dear lord Damon..do you always go around the house half naked in the middle of the night?" She said, her hand still on her heart.

He just shrugged with that smirk of his still in place.

"My head was throbbing. Too much alcohol, I guess. I took an aspirin." He just said. "What about you? I could ask you the same thing, missy." He said smiling, checking her out from behind.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm thirsty." She said, trying to sound annoyed.

She took the water from the fridge, then going to the shelf to pick a glass. She didn't reach it though, not even on her toes. Oh-oh.

She hoped that Damon had left so she could have managed some other way, but when she felt his presence behind her she thought that he was far from it.

"Here.." He just said softly, taking the glass easily.

She noticed that he didn't make skin contact with her, but why she somehow craved it? She felt goose-bumps on her body by just being a few inches away from him.

She shouldn't have turned, she knew that, but she did.

Her eyes immediatly fell on his lips, and then back to his ocean blue eyes that were staring at her with such a depth that was quite hard to handle. She couldn't read his expression. But she did notice once again his naked chest. He was only wearing a pair of jeans..and all Elena wanted to was kiss him, again. And then kiss his glorious chest.

Just when she was escaping the closness, he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, smiling at her softly. She had a deja-vù of what happened some days before.

"Damon.." She breathed.

She saw him lowering his lips down hers, with the same fire and need as hers in his eyes, but then he quickly pulled away.

Okay that bothered her. She knew what he said, but it was unfair teasing her like that.

He cleared his throat, not making eye-contact with her. "Okay then..good night, Elena." He said heading to the door.

Elena crossed her arms. "Why do you do that?" She asked.

"Excuse me?" He said, turning around again.

"Pushing me away. I want to know why." She said softly.

He seemed surprised for a moment, before leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms too.

"I thought that we talked about this earlier, Elena." He scoffed.

She took a few steps closer.

"No, we didn't. I know what you said Damon..but I just want to know _why_." Elena replied honestly.

His facade was up again, though. His expression was a little too hard and his body stiff.

"I don't need to explain anything. Get over yourself, Elena." He said coldly.

She sighed, getting even closer and smiling sadly. She studied his beautiful face for a few moments, then caressing his hair.

He seemed confused, but especially taken off guard. He looked at her in disbelief.

"You're right..you don't owe me any explication." Elena said, her hand falling on his cheek. She felt his face resting on the palm of her hand just a little. "But I think that you're so much more, Damon. You're just afraid to try. To let people in." She explained.

He was letting his walls down, she could see it. The gaze of his eyes was even more beautiful.

"I just wish that you could see it too. I know that I have no rights to tell you this..but what you do, how you shut people out, it's unfair to yourself Damon. Do you really want a life like this? Not being really close to someone, put your love and trust in them? That's not living. You deserve far better." She said firmly.

"Elena…" He said shaking his head, still with that shocked expression on his face, holding her gaze intensly.

She cut him off before he could continue. "Maybe I'm not the one. Maybe that's why you told me all that stuff before, but I know that you'll find the right person someday. I'm sure of that. That's why I'm saying you this." She said, even though it really hurt to say those words, she really meant that.

"Good night Damon." She then said, quickly giving him a kiss on the cheek.

And for the first time in his life, Damon Salvatore was left speechless.

One thing he knew though..it wouldn't have been easy to take Elena Gilbert off his mind and his _heart._

* * *

><p><span>One week later:<span>

"Caroline!" Elena exclaimed, as she picked up the call.

"Oh why hello there, Elena." Caroline said, sounding pissed.

Uh-oh. Elena may have forgot to call her and tell her about everything…

"Care.." Elena started, "I'm sorry. I know, I'm awful, but really there's nothing great to talk about." Elena explained, still bitter about what happened.

For the whole week Damon and Elena both pretty much ingored each other, and talked just when necessary. What hurt the most though was his cold behavior towards her. It was killing her slowly and she hated it. She couldn't wait for other three weeks to pass, so finally Stefan and Caroline would be back.

"Oh.." Caroline said, sounding disappointed. "Still you could have called me! The day after the party I texted you saying 'call me' and you said 'will do'. Oh I see, uh." She then said back annoyed.

She had a point. Elena couldn't blame her, she totally ignored her.

She heard her sighing. "Mmh, whatevs, we can talk now." She said and the curiosity was clear in her voice.

Elena smiled at that. She really missed Caroline.

"Can I call you later, though? And this time for real, I swear. Now I'm driving to pick Jeremy up at the gallery art he's working at." She said.

"Okay, okay.." Caroline said sounding hesitant. "But you better call!" She said, hanging up.

Five minutes later Elena was in front of the gallery art Jeremy told her he was working at. His car was broken so for the week she would pick him up. The mornings he said that the girl he was dating, Anna, would drop him there.

Elena was so proud of his brother. In a few years, he improved so much. The period after their parents's death had been devastating, and had a tragic effect on Jeremy who started being on drugs and rebellious.

Now though at the age of twenty he had grown up so much, he was a mature man.

It was 6pm, and when Elena got in, not many people were there.

She looked around the unfamiliar place, just to hear a voice from behind her.

"Can I help you?" A polite, classy, voice asked.

She turned around and saw a man smiling at her. He was good looking, probably in his thirties or something.

"Uhm, yeah..I'm searching for my brother, Jeremy Gilbert. He works here." She quickly explained.

"Oh, I see, Jeremy." The man said calmly. "He's taking his stuff right now. He's probably on his way, don't worry." He said politely.

Elena couldn't help but smile, he was too kind.

"I'm Elijah, by the way. Elijah Smith. I'm the owner of this place." He said smiling, extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Elijah. I'm Elena. And this place is really beautiful." Elena said.

They started pacing around the huge room, full of paints and sculptures.

"So..is this place new, or something? I've never noticed it before." Elena said still looking around.

Elijah cleared his throat. "Yes, it's just a few months that we're open, actually. Your brother was one of the first people that I hired. He's got talent." He said.

"I know. He likes drawing and painting ever since he was a kid..during his youth his passion actually improved even more." Elena said smiling.

"Good to know. He's really great. If I can ask..what do you do, Elena?" He then asked.

"I'm studing pshycology, child pshycology actually. I love kids, and having the opportunity to help them and knowing them better is great for me." She explained.

Elijah seemed impressed. "Wow. I really do admire you. It can be a pretty tough thing sometimes, right?"

Elena sighed. "Yeah, definitely.."

Just then Jeremy showed up, a bag on his back.

"Oh hey 'Lena." He said kissing her on the cheek.

"Hey Jer." She said smiling.

While heading outside, Elijah spoke again.

"It's been a pleasure, Elena. I hope to see you again very soon." He said shaking her hand again, and smiling knowingly.

Jeremy looked suspicious.

"For me too, Elijah. And congrats again for your gallery." She said.

And with that, they were out. Once in the car Jeremy kept giving her dirty looks.

"What?" Elena finally spat.

"He likes you." Jeremy said casually.

Elena laughed. "Who? Elijah? Please.." She said, shaking her head.

"No I'm telling you 'Lena, he likes you. Pretty sure tomorrow he's gonna ask me your number." Jeremy said amused.

Elena blushed slightly. "No way..and don't you dare giving it to him." She warned, while pulling off at Ric's driveway.

"Whatevs, sis. Anyway Jenna told me to ask you if you want to come to dinner on Saturday." He said.

"Sure. We're not seeing each other so often anymore.." Elena said, smiling sadly. "I'll definitely be there." She said, hugging him goodbye.

She then thought about what Jeremy said. Elijah liked her..but why she could just think about Damon, then?

* * *

><p>"For fuck's sake Damon, it's been more than a while now." Andie snorted. "Come on.." She then pouted, running her hand through his naked chest.<p>

"I know that it's been more than a while, Andie. No need to tell me again." He said frustrated.

Indeed, Damon wasn't getting some for more than two weeks now. With Jamie at home and everything, even spending most of the nights at the boarding house, he just didn't have time. Though after the awkward talk with Elena in the kitchen, it seemed that his mind could just think about her and what she said. Fuck it.

"Then what is it, Damon? I'm half naked all over you and you don't even seem excited..not just one _bit_." Andie spat, now slapping his chest.

Damon looked darkly at her. He was indeed horny, and his relationship with Andie pretty much consisted into sex and getting wasted. But why it didn't do it for him, anymore? It wasn't even with her. It was with everyone. Everyone but…

To hell with it, he thought. He started kissing Andie passionately, pulling her body all over his. She rubbed herself against him, going down…but nothing. Nothing at all. Did he have problems? Did he have some sort of erectile dysfunction? Oh, _no_...not him. It never happened before.

Frustrated, he pulled away from her, snorting loudly and annoyed. He got off bed, heading towards the bathroom.

"Where are you going now?" Andie asked.

"Home." He said while putting his shirt on.

"You're such a buzz killer. You're becoming boring, Damon." She said rolling her eyes.

"What can I say, pity for ya'." He said sarcastic, buttoning the last button.

Andie then got up from the bed, reaching him.

"Maybe if we were in a committed relationship..things would be different." She said, making doe eyes that didn't fit her at all.

The only one who had doe eyes without even trying was E- stop thinking about her, for god's sake!

"Andie, honey..no." He said firmly, smiling sarcastically. "..Not with you." He then said to himself sighing, when she couldn't hear.

"Okay…" She just said, and he could hear the disappointment in her voice.

Andie was everything Damon had searched for. Easy sex, easy girl, light conversations. Until now. Why did it hurt more not being able to talk to Elena for two whole weeks than whoring around and missing his old lifestyle?

The truth was that Damon missed her. Elena was a special girl, and he only realized how much she actually meant to him now. Their conversations now were only based about Jamie, with Jamie, or polite 'hellos'. And Damon hated it. Plus, he noticed that in the last week Elena was going out more often, especially in the evenings, and he couldn't help but wonder if she was dating someone..the thought actually made him mad. Jealous..?

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Andie spoke again. "So, why don't we go at the Grill?" She asked.

"Sure.." He just said, not really paying attention to what she said.

He noticed that while he was lost in his thoughts, she had fully dressed up, and while heading towards the door she threw him a dirty look..as in making him understand that she got that he was thinking about something else.

* * *

><p>It was Friday evening, and Elena was getting ready to go out with Elijah. Again.<p>

They weren't officially dating, but as Jeremy predicted the morning after Elijah asked him her number, and the same afternoon she got a call from him. They pretty much went out every day. He was a real gentleman she had to admit. Elena actually enjoyed his company, Elijah was kind and full of culture.

In the back of her mind, even if she really didn't want to admit it, Elena wanted to do all those things with Damon. Elijah was almost the perfect guy, and yet she didn't feel the same chemistry and understanding as with Damon. She really cursed herself mentally this time. Why did she even still think about him, was a mystery.

Caroline told her the same. The same day that she met Elijah and Caroline yelled at her because she hadn't called her back, she told her about everything. About the party, of how Damon had been nothing but sweet to her even though he rejected her, of how she couldn't stop thinking about him..and then she said that she had met Elijah, and that he liked her.

Caroline seemed totally knocked off about Damon. She didn't see it coming, she had always thought that Damon wouldn't ever let down a girl, and she even admitted that his behavior had been quite a surprise and very sweet. Though she even said that if he didn't really want to have nothing to do with her, she should have tried with Elijah and let the little thing with Damon go, and in fact it was exactly what she did.

A few minutes later she headed downstairs. Damon wasn't at home too. Jamie was invited to a friend's house and Damon would have picked up him the morning after.

"Hey.." She said, heading into Elijah's car.

"Hello Elena." He said polite as always. "The Grill it is, then?" He then asked. She nodded smiling.

"Hey by the way..would you bring me at my aunt's house, after? I promised her to pay a quick visit. You can come too if you want." Elena said.

He grinned, he seemed really pleasured and Elena hoped that he didn't get the wrong idea. "Of couse. It would be a pleasure." He said still grinning.

"Good.." She said, smiling awkwardly.

Ten minutes later they were at the Grill, and while Elijah parked, Elena noticed one car. Damon's car. Oh, _crap_! He was there. Now it was too late to come back though, it would have made Elijah suspicious and probably made him think that she was mad.

Oh well..the Grill would have probably been busy, maybe they wouldn't even see him.

She took a deep breath, and got out of the car. To her big surprise, Elijah took her hand. Oh man..awkward. What was she supposed to do? Squeezing it? Numbly staying like that? Or gently pulling out of the grasp? She then smiled oh-so awkwardly at him, and decided to keep the hand in there. Flat, though.

Once they were in, Elena immediatly looked around. She felt more than relieved when she didn't notice Damon..but almost as if she felt his presence, she turned around and saw him staring at her. Just perfect.

Was he..was he with Andie? Elena fumed inside. She still remembered the night when Andie treated her like crap, that bossy little thing..she didn't deserve Damon. Not at all. Despite everything..it still hurt seeing him with someone else, even if she had no rights to feel this way.

A little because she felt like tease Damon, a little because she had to be polite, she went straight to their table.

When Andie saw her, she pratically killed her with her look. Just when she saw that she was with someone else she softened a little.

"Hi guys." Elena said, all smiles.

Andie just smiled fakely, and Damon seemed just tense.

"Hi there, Elena." He said tightly.

Elijah seemed a bit confused, and even a little annoyed at Damon's presence. Was it because their tension and angst was palpable?

Elena held Damon's gaze for a little too long, seeing a glim of hurt written on his face. Even that tiny little expression managed to pain her heart. They were 'interrupted' by Elijah introducing himself.

"I'm Elijah Smith. Nice to meet you." He said politely as always, heading his hand to Andie and Damon.

Damon took it introducing himself lazily, while Andie just seemed straking poses each time.

She couldn't help it, she kept looking at Damon and he kept looking at her for the whole time. If looks could talk..

Elijah cleared his throat. "Guess we're going to take a table. Elena's aunt is waiting for us. Enjoy your night." He said, and Elena noticed how he remarked the word 'us'.

She just nodded smiling, taken by Elijah to another table, far away from Damon's..

* * *

><p>"Damon I think that you've had enough.." Andie said concerned.<p>

It was his fourth glass of bourbon, but he didn't care. When he saw Elena entering the bar with that dummy, his whole body went sniff. And they were holding hands. _Holding_ hands! He knew that something was off, he sensed that he was losing Elena..and now he had the proof.

They didn't stay too long, after thirty minutes they quickly got out. To Elena's aunt house. So it was that serious, uh?

"Shut up, Andie." He hissed at her while ordering another drink.

He was nowhere near drunk but he needed his best friend bourbon to suppress all that he was feeling right now. He noticed that Andie kept staring at him.

"What?" He suddenly spat.

"I think that she's lucky. She really has you all wrapped up around her little finger." She sighed.

"You don't know what you're talking about." He said, rolling his eyes.

As if she didn't even hear him, she kept talking. "Why don't you just tell her how you feel?" She asked shrugging.

Damon looked at her helplessy, slowly giving up. He was a coward. He didn't want to, he didn't deserve Elena. But on the other hand..could he go on like this? Living so miserably? Losing her? It wasn't something that Damon could afford. For the first time in many years he finally felt a connection with someone, he actually felt good about himself when he was with her..why was he just too proud to tell her? He tried to get her off of his mind but it was just pointless.

He didn't care about Elijah or whatever his name was, he would have told her tonight.

"I have to go." He suddenly said, rosing up.

Andie smiled at him sadly, before seeing him heading out.

Could he win her over, and make her forget about his behavior? He knew that he probably shouldn't have, but he headed towards his aunt's house. If he didn't make it now..he didn't know if he actually would have been able to. He had her aunt's, or her fiance's he didn't remember, address because Elena gave it to him in cases of real emergencies. It was.

Damon both loved and hated what he was feeling. It had been too long since he felt so attached to someone, and his worst fear was to let people in, just as Elena understood. But he was willing to do it for her. To give it a chance because she was worth it.

He parked a few blocks before, then quickly pacing towards the house. Once in front of it, he took a deep breath. He had really gone insane.

Just when he was about to go further, he heard a voice, _her_ voice, coming from the house yard. She was alone and she was talking on the phone.

"Caroline, I'm telling you..when he looks at me I feel something that I've never felt before. God, it's insane. I…I think that I love him." He heard her say and laughing nervously.

His body went stiff, numb. He knew that. It was too late and he had lost her. You idiot, this teaches you that you were better off without her in your life, she messed it and _you_ up, he thought.

He needed to get away from there. He started walking when he bumped into something and made a loud noise. "Shit!" He muttered.

He looked around just to see Elena looking into the sidewalk where he was standing. At first she had a worried and confused expression on her face, but when she recognized him her face was priceless.

"Damon!" She shouted, as she saw him starting walking quickly.

But he didn't turn around. It was dark so if she brought up the issue, he would have told her that she had probably mistaken someone else for him.

"Damon, I saw you!" She kept shouting now with an autoritary tone as if she was talking to a five years old, following him.

He quickly disappeared though and got into the car, fastly driving away. From everything.

* * *

><p>Goddammit, Damon! Elena was fuming. Not only he showed up at her aunt's house randomly, but when she saw him, he didn't even have the balls to admit that it was him. Oh no, he wasn't going to get away with it.<p>

The worst part was..that she was talking about him with Caroline on the phone. Oh god. Had he heard everything?

"Jenna, I need your car keys." She said, once inside.

"Wha-.." Jenna started saying, looking confused.

"Look it's a long story, maybe I'll tell you but now I need your keys." She said quickly.

Elijah, Ric and Jeremy were there looking confused.

"Elena if something happened, we can go." Elijah said still confused.

Elena snorted. She actually snorted. "No Elijah thank you the keys Jenna NOW!" She said passing a hand through her hair. Yeah, she seemed pretty much a psychotic. She seemed out of her mind.

She quickly ran outside, getting into Jenna's car.

She headed directly to the boarding house. Even if he wasn't there, she would have waited for him. Elena was tired of this silence between them. If he had some issues with her, or wanted to tell her something, it was the right moment. Hell, she was even willing to admit her own feelings..even if she was pretty sure that they weren't reciprocated.

She huffed when sge stopped at the traffic light. She felt so anxious, she…

She was brutally pulled out of her thoughts when she heard someone breaking her window and placing something cold against her temple.

Her whole body went stiff and she didn't even have the strenght to look around, her whole body paralized with fear.

"Get out of the car." The deep, male, voice said.


	6. Chapter 6

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* * *

><p>"Get out of this car, now!" The voice now said in a stronger tone, sounding anxious.<p>

Elena felt paralyzed, her knees were trembling and her whole body frozen. She quickly got out of the car, and the other man took her from her arms, pulling her behind.

"I- I..I'll give you whatever you want, just- just don't hurt me please." She said, her voice shaking in fear.

She felt tears threatening to escape, but she held them. She didn't want to give those men any other sign of weakness.

The man who was holding her buried his face in her neck, sniffing her hair.

"Mmh..you think we can have a little fun with this one, Fred?" He asked, chuckling smugly.

The man who was currently checking inside her car, _Jenna's_ car, laughed devishily before shaking his head.

"Sure she's a pretty little thing..but we don't have time." He said firmly.

"Oh, but come on!" The other pouted.

Elena felt now disgusted. They were seriously joking and debating on whether hurt her and god only knows what or not? She had never feared for her life that much, not even when the accident with her parents happened.

"What do you want? Just take the car and go..please. I'll give you all my money too." She managed to purge out, more firmly this time.

The man who was currently holding her chuckled, seeming amused.

"You see, my lovely..unfortunately what I really want, I can't get. But my friend there is searching for some valuables. You have any, so we can go quickier?" He asked in a calm tone. Almost polite..a creepy polite, though.

Just when she was about to reply, his eyes flickered on her necklace and a grin appeared on his face. Oh no..everything, but _that _necklace _no_.

It meant the world to Elena. It was her mother's. Her father gave it to her, and it was the last thing of her parents that she was holding on to. That she was always bringing with her everyday.

"How come I didn't see it earlier?" He asked himself, then roughly ripping it off her.

"No, please..everything but that necklace no. Please, it isn't even much expensive." Elena started begging.

He shook her hard, knocking her down, her head hitting the ground. She slammed her hip and her leg on a rock as she flinched in pain and looked at the man in front of her in horror. There she felt really hopeless.

Just the hard voice of the other one managed to distract her.

"For fuck's sake..how many times I have to tell you to keep some manners. We have to be fast and focused. And not on some random girl..even if this one, actually deserves." He said almost smirking in the end, looking at her from tip to toe.

The man that was still standing in front of her snorted heavily. "Fine. Have you done here anyway, Fred? Oh, and look what I got.." He then said grinning devishily, almost trying to impress him.

"Yeah, yeah..whatever. Now let's go." He said, as they rushed into the car.

The one that she seemed to fear the most, turned around again, smiling smugly at her, and Elena felt all her worries returning again, her heart pounding painfully.

"It's been a pleasure, sweetheart." He said with his quiet voice.

And with that, they were gone. Elena still felt her body stiff, not able to move or even open her mouth for that matter. It was Mystic Falls, for god's sake. Something like that barely happened..and she had to get involved into it. Not that it was her fault, but still that men hurt her, taking Jenna's car and most of all stealing one of the most precious things for her on the planet.

Realization slowly began to hit her, as she started sobbing quietly. It wasn't even a common street, where you could easily find people walking, or buildings for that matter. She was into shit.

She tried to get it together, telling herself to calm down. A little hopeful smile spread across her face when she felt her phone in her pocket.

As she saw the screen enlightening, she quickly dialed his number. Yes, _his_. Because she should have probably called 911, Jenna, or Jeremy. But none of them was her _hero_. Damon was.

* * *

><p>After he finished his bottle of the familiar bourbon, somehow helping him to take her out of his head, Damon drifted into sleep on the couch.<p>

For the whole ride home he had felt nothing but disappointed, hurt and sad. And why? Because Elena just declared her love for some other guy over the phone? Obviously not, Damon, he thought sarcastically. Funny thing about that, it was that he had no rights to feel that way. He was the one who rejected her..twice. He was the one who let her down and told her that he wasn't the one for her..so his thougths were nothing but childish. And still, he couldn't help them. Never in his life he had felt this way, especially not for a woman. After his mother died he was forced to grow up, taking care of himself and his brother at the same time. It had been tough, but he eventually made it, then building a shell all over himself to shut people out. While Stefan turned out just fine in the end, Damon became more bitter and fatalist towards life, and people. Dare he say that, cold. The only people that he actually loved in his life were Jamie and Stefan. Until now. Until _Elena_ got into his life like a tornado, twisting him and his 'precious' unbreakable shell. Elena was a special girl, he had always known that. From the moment she came into this house, he just knew that there was something about that girl. But as days, as weeks, passed he felt more and more attached to her. And now for the love of his he didn't know how he could build-up that shell again. To shut feelings out.

His inner thoughts were briefly forgotten when he heard his phone ringing. He sighed frustrated. And now who could it be at this hour?

"Hello?" He said, half tired and half annoyed.

He rubbed his eyes, slowly putting on his feet. And then they snapped open, when he heard her voice.

"Damon?" She said. Her voice though wasn't cheerfull and relaxed as always, it seemed full of fear. Trembling.

He quickly panicked, mentally telling himself to calm down and listen to her.

"Elena? Whas is it? What happened?" He snapped, getting up and starting pacing around the room.

"Damon I'm in some trouble and I need you!" She started sobbing.

Okay, now he felt seriously panicked. His heart was beating a little too fast for his liking and he actually felt sort of giddy, cursing himself for not being there for her already.

"Okay Elena I'm on my way. Where are you?" He asked taking a deep breah.

"I don't know..somewhere near the old Church. Very close to it." She said quickly. "I'm scared." She then added after a few moments of silence.

His heart actually ached in pain. It was the second time in his life that he heard Elena crying and the whole thing was unbereable for him to stand. Just the sound of her cry made him angry. If someone harmed her…

"Don't be. I'll be there in a few minutes and you'll be just fine, okay baby?" He asked sofly, trying to sound reassuring.

He heard her taking a sharp breath, almost as if she was trying to convince herself. "Okay.." She said more softly.

She sounded so scared, so helpless. All he wanted to do was crawling her in his arms, and tell her that everything was going to be alright. He had to believe that.

"Elena?" He then asked.

"Yeah?" Her trembling voice replied immediatly.

"Just take a few breaths, think about something good..focus on it. I'll be there even before you finish thinking about it..alright?" He said, smiling a little.

"Alright." She said, and he could hear that her tone seemed lighter.

Damon ran out of the boarding house in a heartbeat, not even bothering to lock the door. Once in the car, he went so fast that he mentally thanked god for not having the Sheriff or the police around.

He cursed himself for having ignored her earlier. She had recognized him, and she obviously ran after him, after he made the creep outside of her house. It was all his fault if she was in this mess. If something serious happened to Elena, _his_ Elena, he couldn't forgive himself.

* * *

><p>After the small talk with Damon, Elena felt definitely calmer and reassured. She knew that he was on his way and the thought made her simply happy. A little smile appeared on her face, thinking about it.<p>

And she did exactly what he told her. She thought about something good, something that made her feel home. She thought about the best days with her parents and Jeremy, when they were happy together. Their barbecues, campings, the huge party for Jenna's degree..and last but not less important her bickers with Jeremy. She used to be so stubborn, and so did he, so their bickers would turn into huge fights for such silly things. Their dad always seemed to take her side, while her mother Jeremy's. At the time it was something that annoyed the hell out of her..but now she just missed it.

As she felt some noises around her, she shivered, and instantly thought about something good again. Her days with Matt, how much their naive love still gave her sweet memories. And then Bonnie, Caroline, Jamie…Damon. He became such an important figure in her life. He was one of those people who come in your life all of a sudden, but have the power to change it, and change you. She remembered the first time that she had seen him. How she immediatly felt attracted to him, but thought that he was just a cocky ass. The truth was that now she couldn't imagine a life without him in it, the days with Jamie and Damon seemed to be ones of the happiest of her, they made her feel home. Knowing that Damon didn't feel the same, and that she probably wouldn't have seen him that much again when Stefan was going to come back..it hurt her. But she even knew that she had to move on, and not focus on someone who clearly didn't care about her the way she did..

She was starting to get cold and feel weak, her eyelash getting heavier. She fought against it, but it eventually took the best of her..

"Elena, Elena.." She heard someone calling her name and shaking her lightly. Panic and worry in the voice. "Please baby look at me..just open your eyes!" The voice said again. It was his voice. She came for her. She knew it.

"Damon?" She said huskily, in a weak voice.

As she opened her eyes she was met by those unmistekable ocean blue ones. Looking at her full of relief, worry..and something else that she couldn't quite describe. A little smile crossed her face.

"Oh god, Elena…" He cried out with so much vulnerability in his voice. He was kneeled in front of her, and now he was holding her tight, for dear life. "I'm so sorry this happened to you." He said, kissing the top of her head.

She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, pulling him closer. "It's okay..you're always saving me." She said smiling.

He pulled away to look at her in her eye, gazing at her softly and intensly. "No..not if I am the one who puts you in danger in the first place. If I didn't leave you at the party, that accident with Tyler wouldn't have happened. And today..I shouldn't have run. I'm a coward and I'm selfish. I'm the one who put you into this." He said shaking his head, his voice full of guilt and regret. "And now look at what happened to you. It's all my fault." He said, biting his bottom lip.

She stayed quiet for a few moments. "Well..you're here now. Maybe it means that you shouldn't stay away at all?" She teased.

He smiled, sadly, though. She then cupped his cheek, smiling amused at him. "So you do admit that you were indeed there, tonight?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Uh-oh. He just smiled, planting a kiss on the palm of her hand.

"Let's get you to the hospital.." He said in a tight voice. He carefully picked her up, as she wrapped her weak arms around his neck.

"You're not getting away with it, Salvatore.." She mumbled.

He chuckled. "Fine, Gilbert. I surrender. We'll talk about whatever you want later though..now I have to make sure that you're okay." He said firmly.

He gently placed her in the backseat, then quickly got into the car, driving to the hospital.

By the time they got there, Elena had passed out. She was weak and he had seen it before. He made a mental note to call her aunt and her brother right after he got her in and knew that she was safe.

He scooped her in his arms, looking at her beautiful face. He hated what happened to her, it couldn't be real.

As soon as he got in, a nurse was already coming for them.

"What happened?" She asked, in her voice concern.

"I..I don't know, exactly." Damon said hesitating. Indeed, he didn't actually know what happened to her.

"Just help her, please. She seemed so weak and then she passed out and I don't know.." He was saying, panic in his voice.

"Sir..calm down." The nurse said reassuringly. "We're going to take care of her." She said.

Damon gave her a tentative smile. "Thank you."

Just then other two nurses came with a stretcher, as Damon slowly placed her on to it. He gave her one last look stroking her hair.

"Where can I wait?" Damon asked.

"Follow me, please." The nurse said softly, walking towards one of the elevators.

"First of all we're going to do her a CT, seeing if there's any concussion. And then our doctors will check her out once she's in her room." She explained as the elevator got into the second floor.

"Don't worry, your girlfriend is going to be just fine." She said, smiling.

Damon nodded numbly. Yeah, girlfriend..wishful thinking. He sat to one of the chouches of the halls, anxiety taking the best of him minute after minute.

It had already passed half an hour and he didn't have any news. He started pacing into the room, snorting in frustration. Fuck.

He then remembered that he had to call her aunt. Oh god..what was he going to tell her. And her brother! He wasn't good at comforting people, or giving news for that matter. Bad news especially.

He didn't have her number..but Elena obviously did. He quickly took her phone from the pocket of his jacket. The nurse gave it to him when they took Elena's stuff. Enlightening the screen, he noticed that she had a picture with Jamie on the background. He smiled fondly, before remembering that he had to do one of the most difficult calls of his life.

He went through her rubric, and when he saw Jenna's number, he hesitantly pressed the call button.

"Elena?" She replied at the first ring. She sounded worried.

"Ehm..actually, I'm Damon. You know Stefan's-" He started awkwardly, before being interrupted.

"Oh god..oh god, no! Oh my god what happened to my niece please tell me that she's alright." Jenna started sobbing nervously.

"Jenna, Jenna please calm down." He felt the need to reassure the hysteric woman on the other line.

He couldn't blame her, though. Being called this late from your niece's phone, just to hear a man's stranger voice could give you an heart attack. You always thought about the worst.

"I'm Stefan's brother, Damon. Elena had...something happened and now we're at the hospital. Nothing serious, though." He said.

He heard her taking a deep breath. "I'm on my way." She just said before hanging up.

He was never good at dealing with crying women.

After fifteen minutes, he saw two people pacing fastly out of the elevator. He supposed that they were Jenna and Jeremy. Since they were the only people in the hallway at the moment, he approached them.

"Jenna?" He asked tentatively.

"Yes?" She said with wide eyes.

"I'm Damon." He said, hesitantly heading his hand.

"Jenna. Jenna Sommers." She shook his hand a little bit too hard, and he could see that he was on the verge of crying again.

The guy beside her put his had on her shoulder, patting it softly.

"Don't worry Jenna. It's going to be fine, the nurse said that nothing serious happened to her." He whispered.

She nodded as unconscious tears started streaming down her face. Jeremy pulled her into a hug, sighing heavily.

He gave Damon an understanding look. "Sorry man..she's pretty emotional. You know, after everything…" He said hesitantly. "I'm Jeremy by the way. Elena's brother." He said heading his other hand out.

"I know. Elena talks about you quite a lot." Damon said, smiling tightly.

They all sat on the couches, waiting for someone to come and inform them. All this wait was killing him inside. He saw a figure approaching them..but it wasn't a nurse. At all. It was that Elijah guy.

Damon's jaw unconsciously hardened as he gritted his teeth. He had almost forgotten about him. No, actually, he completely forgot about him. Only now he remembered Elena's confession to Caroline on the phone..and his world seemed to break down once again.

He rushed towards them, glancing at Jeremy and Jenna and then suspiciously at Damon.

"How is she?" He asked.

Jenna seemed just numb and pensitive, not even acknowledging his presence.

"What are you doing here, man? I told you you could go." Jeremy said, sounding a little annoyed.

Truthfully you don't want people who aren't part of the family, or close to you, when someone you love is going through a bad moment. But then again..why didn't they seem bothered by Damon's presence, then?

Elijah gave Jeremy a hard look. "I care about your sister, Jeremy. A lot. I'm worried." He said.

He then looked at Damon. "And what are you doing here?" He asked, trying to sound polite.

Damon returned the fake smile. "Elena called me, actually. Asking me to pick her up where she's had the accident." He said firmly.

Elijah seemed honestly surprised. At that both Jeremy and Jenna's heads snapped up, looking at Damon.

"What you do mean an accident? With the car?" Jenna asked.

"The car wasn't even there when I arrived..it was probably a rubbery, I guess." Damon said, as realization of his own words hit him.

It had to be. There was no car, and Elena was clearly shocked. But they hurt her. Whoever did this hurt Elena. His heart ached in pain at the thought, once again..it was all his fault.

"I just don't understand.." Jenna said, shaking her head. "Why did she act like that? She needed the car so badly, like she had to be somewhere as soon as possibile..it was so weird." She said.

Damon was tempted to tell the truth, and tell them that she was probably coming after him, but he didn't..he would have eventually, or Elena would have, but right now it wasn't the right time.

After a few minutes of silence, Jenna spoke again.

"Damon you should probably go. You need to get some sleep..I'll call you as soon as we know something." She said quietly.

"No way." He immediatly said. "I'm waiting here."

Saying that they all looked surprised by his firm words, was an understandment. Just then the nurse showed up, and the soft expression on her face indicated that luckily it wasn't anything bad.

"Gilbert family?" She asked, as they all rose up.

"Sorry for the wait. We just wanted to let you know that she's doing great. She's asleep right now, and from the CT it resulted that she just has a little concussion and a sprained leg. Nothing major to worry about." She said. "If you want to see her, you can take five or ten minutes. Only family members are allowed now though. Unless Miss Gilbert asks for someone when she wakes up, of course." She said softly.

Damon wanted to see her so bad. To talk to her, to ask her how she was doing, if she could ever forgive him…he then looked at Elijah who seemed pretty annoyed.

"I see.." He just said.

Damon sighed heavily, knowing that there wasn't something that he could do about it. When Elena woke up, she would probably want to see her family, that dummy in front of him..

He said goodbye to both Jeremy and Jenna, who promised to let him know something as soon as possibile.

He took the elevator with Elijah, and this was most definitely one of the most awkward and annoying moments in his life.

"You and Elena seem pretty close." He said with a calm tone.

"Yeah..very much so." Damon replied with a smirk, feeling slightly possessive.

"Well I just wanted to remind you that she's with me now, so do us a favor and leave her alone." He said as he stepped outside the elevator.

Damon's jaw actually dropped open. Damn, Elijah. He seemed so polite and calm, and yet he could be such a pain in the ass. But why did he sound so worried about his relationship with Elena? It made no sense now, and if he wasn't that tired and frustrated, he would have probably had a crystal clear chat with him.

The time he got home, it was a little after 3am. Damon felt exhausted. Not just physically, but even mentally. It was just so much to take in a whole day. Not to mention that he had to pick Jamie up at his friends house at 9am. Oh, god.

He went upstairs, immediatly flopping onto the bed. He set the alarm on his phone at 7am, as he hoped to get some news on Elena as soon as possible.

In the morning his alarm was clear and loud. To make things even worse, it was even cold outside. Not to mention how he didn't fall asleep until 4am, which meant that he only slept three hours.

Damon lazily got up from the bed, snorting in frustration. After getting a quick shower and getting ready he went downstairs, making himself a long coffee. As he sipped on his cup, he got a text from Jeremy. His heart began to beat faster. So much that it was painful. With almost shaky hands, he opened it_: 'Lena's still asleep. Everything's fine, I'll go home now if there's any news Jenna will contact you. - Jeremy_

He sighed in relief, knowing that Elena was doing fine. He couldn't wait to see her, though. Only now he realized that if he had the chance, he would have taken back all that he said to her in the past weeks and tell her that he wanted all those things that she told him. He wanted them with her.

"Uncle Damon I really did miss you!" Jamie said again when they got home, wrapping his little arms around Damon's neck as he picked him up.

"It's only been three days, kiddo." He said amused.

"Well but I have so much fun with you and Lena.." He replied in his tiny voice. "Where is she?" He then asked.

Crap. How was he supposed to tell him? He would have fricked out if he told her that Elena was in the hospital. But on the other hand, he had no other choice. Jamie was a smart kid and he didn't want to lie to him.

"Uhm..Jam, you see, Elena's got a flu these days so she went to the hospital for a couple of days. You know..just to check things out nothing too serious." He said, trying to sound casual.

They were now in the kitchen. Jamie was sitting on a tool, waiting for Damon to cook him breakfast.

"Oh.." He just said, but Damon could see his sad face. "But she's gonna be alright, right Uncle Damon?" He asked, his voice trembling a little.

He went over him, holding him. If there was one person that he couldn't stand to see cry or be sad was Jamie…and Elena. "Of course she's gonna be alright. She'll be great, I promise." He said winking at him.

Jamie eventually smiled, and Damon was glad that he wasn't too worried. "So..pancakes or waffles?" He asked with a smirk.

"Waffles!" He replied with a grin.

While Damon made him breakfast, once in a while he checked his phone. Still nothing. Jamie returned with a proud smile on his face and a paper in his hands.

"What is it?" Damon asked with a frown.

"It's a drawing." He said, handing it to him.

As he gave Jamie his plate of waffles, he sat on a tool too. He looked at the drawing and couldn't help but smile. It was so cute.

"So..this, I suppose are Barbie and Stefan." He said smirking, pointing to the figures who were holding hands at the side of the drawing.

Damon didn't remember how much fun a child's drawings could actually be. Sometimes they were so hilarious to watch, and Jamie's one made no exception.

"Yes. And have you seen daddy's hair? I made them even more fluffier than it already is. And Caroline's one with curls, because I like her better when she has them." He said smiling.

Damon chuckled. "Well Stefan's hair is usually like Edward Cullen's one, but hey you totally made them like Goku here." He said, shaking his head amused.

"And this should be me?" He then asked when he saw a figure with black hair and blue eyes, that were drew so big that seemed two balls.

He nodded. "And this one is Elena." He said, pointing at the other figure next to him. They were holding hands? Saying that he was surprised, was an understandment.

He loved how Jamie pictured Elena though. It seemed really her just drew by a five years old.

"And how come that we're holding hands?" He asked, grinning despite himself.

Jamie leaned in, almost like he was telling him a secret.

"Because she likes you!" He whispered.

"What?" He asked.

"I'm not lying, Uncle Damon." Jamie suddenly said when he saw the confusion on Damon's face. "I heard her talking to Caroline. She said that you were sweet, something like hot even if I'm not really sure what it means..and that she liked you..a lot." He said.

That was something. He and Elena did have something. But when this conversation actually took place? He was pretty sure that Elena was over him already, that now it was just a one-sided thing that he had to get out of his damn head. But this, this little yet important thing, gave him a glim of hope.

"Jam hurry up with your waffles, so we can go check on Elena." He said, ruffing his hair and walking into the living room.

* * *

><p>Elena woke up by a constant beep. She wasn't quite sure of what happened. Especially, where was she? As she opened her eyes, and looked around finding an asleep Jenna on an armchair, and looking down at her clothes she decuded that she was in a hospital.<p>

Oh, crap. Jenna was going to be so mad at her for the car. Memories slowly came back as she fully woke up. Her head was pounding a little. Not to mention the pain that she was feeling from her right hip to down the leg. As she tried to rose up, in fact, she just fell on the ground like an idiot. Great. That seemed to wake Jenna up who was by her side in a second.

"Elena!" She immediatly rushed, helping her sitting on the bed. "How do you feel, sweetie?" She asked in a concerned voice.

"I'm fine, I think. It's just the hip that hurts like crazy." She said.

"I'm gonna call someone so they can give you a painkiller, okay?" She asked.

"Okay, thank you." Elena said smiling. "Would you mind helping me go to the bathroom, first?" She then asked.

"Sure." Jenna said smiling.

For how long has she exactly been sleeping? Jenna had bags under her eyes and her face was pale. She didn't sleep at all, Elena guessed.

"For how long I'm in here, exactly?" She asked.

"Six hours or so. Damon brought you here." Jenna explained, as she dragged her to the bathroom.

Damon...she was right.

"Oh, I see..where is he?" She asked in a soft voice.

Jenna raised an eyebrow at her, smiling amused. "Why do you care so much? Weren't you with Elijah?" She asked.

"What? No!" Elena spat as if she had just asked her if she had murdered someone. "We're not together, together. We're just..hanging out." She shrugged.

"Well, believe me or not, he seems to think otherwise. You had to see the glances that he threw at Damon." Jenna said, giving her a knowing look.

"Oh my god, what did he say to him?" Elena asked, her face serious.

Jenna chuckled. "Oh my, Elena!" She spat amused. "He didn't say anything to him. But you know if looks could kill.." She hummed.

Elena narrowed her eyes at a still chuckling Jenna, slamming the door behind her.

"Oh hey wait..are you sure you can make it?" Jenna asked now in a more serious tone.

"Yeah. Don't worry. Just go home..have some sleep. I'll be fine, Jenna. Really." She assured her.

Jenna seemed hesitant. "Okay..are you sure? Then I'm gonna send you a nurse, so she can give you a painkiller and help you get in bed." She said.

"Okay. See you later.." Elena said. She then opened the door, just a little to face Jenna. "Oh, and Jenna..I'm so sorry about the car. I promise you I'll buy you a new one." She said in a pained tone.

"Don't worry, sweetie. We'll deal about it another time. The important is that you are okay..oh and I'm gonna come back in the afternoon with the Sheriff. So you can explain everything, you know.." Jenna said uncomfortably.

"Sure." Elena nodded, giving Jenna a quick kiss on the cheek.

A nurse eventually helped her getting out of the bathroom, and Elena felt so uncomfortable. She hoped that this leg would have healed soon. The nurse said that she would have given her two or at last three painkillers at day, and that in a week or so the pain would have diminished.

She gently refused the breakfast, knowing how much hospital food sucked. Jenna or Jeremy would have brought her some decent things later. While reading a random magazine, she was interrupted by a soft nock on the door.

"Come on in." She said casually.

Her eyes glittering in happiness when she saw who was standing at the door. Damon.

"Damon.." She breathed.

She cursed that damn leg once again. By now she would have jumped on him already.

"Elena.." He said, and she saw the same expression on his face.

She gave him a smile as he rushed towards her, kneeling in front of her.

"I was so worried. How do you feel, baby?" He asked as he took her hand, kissing it.

Like Jenna it seemed that Damon didn't get much sleep either.

"I'm okay..just a sprained leg and a little concussion." She said. She didn't want him to feel guilty.

He squeezed her hand, looking at her with that intense gaze that melted her. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I hope that you're going to forgive me, someday...and if you let me, I'll make sure that anything like this happens again." He concluded with a hesitant smile.

Elena was speechless. What was he saying, that he wanted to be with her? Or that he wanted to be her personal body guard just because he felt pity for her?

"Damon, I.." She started, shaking her head.

He shushed her. "Look..I know that you're with Elijah, and that you even love him." He said the last part with bitter in his voice. "But I just wanted to let you know that I do want all those things that you told me about…with _you_." He finished in a whisper, his eyes glowing, but pained.

Elena's heart actually ached with happiness. Was it even possible? That was everything that she wanted to hear. But why was Damon so sure that she loved Elijah? Crap..he had probably listened to a part of her conversation with Caroline. And she wasn't talking about Elijah.

She squeezed his hand back, and she was sure that she had never seen so much vulnerability and softness on Damon's face. It was breathtaking.

Just when she was about to tell him that he heard completely wrong, Jamie butted in.

"Lena!" He greeted cheerfully. He came over her and gave her a little soft kiss on her cheek. "I was talking to a nurse. She gave me this." He said, holding up his lollipop.

"Aw, Jam...I'm so glad that you're here too. What do you have in the other hand?" She asked, as she let him sit near her on the bed.

"It's a drawing..quite interesting." Damon said with a smirk.

She took it in her hands and chuckled when she saw how he drew Stefan. And Caroline. And then was that..Damon? And who was the girl near him, holding his hand? She looked at them both questioningly.

"Duh. That's you, Elena." Damon said rolling his eyes.

Oh my god. Elena immediatly blushed. Why would Jamie draw her and Damon holding hands in the first place? When she looked up, she found Damon still smirking at her and looking at her with that knowing look.

She wanted to talk to him so badly..but with Jamie, it was impossible.

She noticed that they were still holding hands, and she couldn't help but smile genuinely as he caressed it with his thumb.

Their little moment was interrupted when someone knocked at the door. It was Sheriff Forbes. Followed by another person..and Elijah.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: As always..you guys are the best. You really really are awesome and I want to thank you so much for your support! :) **

**All the reviews, the alerts, the favorites...wow. Just thank you lol. Keep them coming, please! I love to know what you think. **

**XOXO G  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Hello, Elena.." Liz Forbes said, smiling softly. "May I come in?" She asked, followed by the other cop.<p>

And Elijah. Who was standing behind them with an unreadable expression on his face, as he saw Damon and Elena holding hands.

"Sure, Liz." Elena said with the same tone.

As they came in, Damon reclutantly let go of her hand, looking at her and smiling reassuringly, even though it seemed so sad. She knew what it meant. He thought that this was goodbye, that no matter what he said, now there was Elijah there for her. But how wrong could he be? He didn't know the first thing about her 'relationship' with Elijah. He had probably let himself fooled because he saw them holding hands at the Grill, and over-heard her talking with Caroline. She couldn't blame him, but he still got it all wrong.

But what if he said that he wanted to be with her just because he was feeling pity? Why did he change his mind now? Though she saw the look in his eyes when he said those words. He _meant_ them. She had to believe that.

She smiled sadly at him too, already feeling the loss of his touch. She had to go through what happened last night again..and she couldn't have the person that she wanted the most near her.

"Come on Jamie, let's go take something to eat.." Damon whispered to him.

Jamie obviously couldn't hear what she was about to tell. He was just a kid.

"But we still have to give Lena the cookies that we baked her.." He pouted with his tiny voice.

"We'll bring them to her another time, okay?" Damon asked as Jamie nodded disappointed.

Elena smiled at the thought. They baked cookies for her, and all she wanted to do was tell them how much she appreaciated the simple gesture and how important _they_ were for her. She let two silent tears escape, and immediatly wiped them away.

Elijah was by her side in a second, holding the same hand that Damon was holding just one minute before. The contact wasn't the same. The warmth and the rightness that she felt while holding Damon's wasn't there.

"Elena, if you can't.." He was saying sympathetically.

"I'm fine." She cut him off shortly, taking a breath.

She gave one last glance at Damon, wondering if when he was out of that door, it would be all over for good.

"So.." Liz started, taking a seat on the chair next to her bed.

The other cop was still standing straight with a blocknotes.

"Can you describe me what happened exactly, Elena?" She asked, looking intensly at her.

It was harder to talk or even think about it without Damon beside her.

She cleared her throat. Elijah's hand was still holding hers, but she kept it flat. It didn't do anything to her.

"I..I was driving, when I stopped at a traffic light. Five seconds after I had two men breaking my window, and pointing a gun to my temple." She said, while cold shivers passed through her body at the vivid memory.

"And then…" She was saying, but as she remembered how roughly that man grabbed her and touched her, she couldn't make it. Not now.

She took a deep breath to not cry, but it seemed useless. Her heart was already beating too fast as she began to panic. She didn't want to go through that again. Those men and their evil figures were still in her head, crystal clear.

"One of them grabbed me by the shoulders, then he started touching me and…I'm sorry.." She said shaking her head, as she burst into tears.

"Oh my god, Elena." Elijah said, pulling her into a hug.

She really appreciated how concerned Elijah was. He was a really good guy..hell, he was pratically the perfect guy. But she didn't need his presence right now. It just annoyed her.

"Can you go get me some water, please?" She said pulling back, smiling.

"Sure." He nodded.

Once he was out, she snorted in frustration, as hot tears kept streaming down her face. Elena kept thanking God that those men didn't really go too far with her. Now she could just imagine what women who went through abuses could feel. But still, even if something much worse could have happened, she still felt scared. Like she could open her eyes and find them in front of her again. And how disprectfully they just rubbed off her mother's necklace kept passing through her mind. That, was what hurt her the most.

"Elena, are you sure you can keep going? Do you need something?" Liz asked, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I just need Damon.." She said in a husky voice, that came out almost as a whisper.

Liz's eyes widened for a moment, seeming surprised.

"As in Damon Salvatore?" She asked.

Elena just nodded numbly, while resting her head on the pillow. She was starting to feel weak again. It was probably the painkiller.

"Okay.." Liz sighed. "I'm gonna call him, then. Maybe we came too early." She then said with a guilty face. "Jerry and I are going to have lunch now while you get some sleep, and in an hour or so we're getting back. Sounds good?" Liz asked smiling.

Elena nodded again, this time forcing a smile. Liz was Caroline's mother, they knew each other for a long time, so when she was around Elena felt protected and safe. She grew really fond of Liz, she almost saw her as a parental figure.

She tiredly closed her eyes, hoping to find Damon beside her once she opened them again.

* * *

><p>He had seen her. She was fine. He had told her everything that was haunting him for weeks now.<p>

He should have felt relieved, ligther..but why it did just hurt more, then? He wanted her so badly, that girl became such an important person for him and she didn't even realize how much she actually meant for him. He wasn't interested in anything else, no one else..she was all he could wish for. He had all the qualities to be called an asshole, but he didn't feel that way with her. She was the only one who could see right through him and his insecurities and not make him feel bad about it. How could he have been so stupid to let her go?

When he went to her room and admitted that he wanted to be with her, he was showing his greatest weakness, but at the same time, he never meant anything more than those words in his life.

But now she was with Elijah, and he had to accept that.

"We can still bring Lena the cookies later, right Uncle Damon?" Jamie asked hopeful, holding his hand as they walked towards the exit.

"Sure." Damon said smiling.

Thankfully Stefan and Caroline would come back in a week. Otherwise Damon didn't know how much he could have lasted. Having Jamie and Elena around gave him warmth, hell it was pratically perfection.

But it couldn't last. It _wouldn't_ have lasted, so hopefully once they were gone he could go back to his old lifestyle. Or at least try, and fake to still want it, since it didn't do it for him anymore.

Deep down, he had always been a little jealous of his brother. He had Jamie and Caroline. Two people who loved him unconditionally every day of his life. While all that he had done in the years was pushing women away when he started to get attached, or they started to get attached. And not even just women..but _people_ in general. At first he may have found it plesaurable and convenient, but after a while it just became hard to do.

Just as they were heading outside the building, Sheriff Forbes's voice called him.

"Damon!" She shouted.

Oh crap. Was something wrong with Elena?

"Yes?" He immediatly turned around, looking confused.

"Hi Jamie." The Sheriff said with a smile, lightly patting Jamie's head before focusing her attention on Damon again.

"Did something happen to Elena?" He immediatly asked, not even trying to cover the worry in his voice.

"Oh don't worry, she's fine. She's just..tired, you can understand. The other cop and I are giving her an hour to rest a little. But she asked for you, by the way." She said.

Saying that he was surprised, was an understandment. Elena wanted to see him? Maybe to tell him to stay away from her for good? Too many thoughts passed through his mind, and he didn't like them not even one bit.

"She asked about me?" He asked to Liz, raising his eyebrows in confusion.

She smiled a little. "Yes." She confirmed again.

"Maybe I can take Jamie to pick something to eat, while you go to Elena?" She then asked.

"Are you okay with it?" He asked to Jamie, who smiled approvingly.

"Bring here these." He said handing him the box of cookies.

Damon rolled his eyes in amusement. Since the moment they baked those cookies, all Jamie could think about was giving them to Elena.

"Alright..I'll tell her that you made them for her, okay?" He said giving Jamie a wink.

He nodded fiercely, still grinning. He took Liz's hand who brought him at the cafeteria in the hall.

Damon almost ran to pick the elevator and reach the second floor. He already couldn't wait to see her again even though he knew that it was no good for him. Damn, he hated this dipendence that he had from her.

When he got near her room, a nurse quickly stopped him.

"I'm sorry sir, Miss Gilbert said no more visits until this evening." She said.

"She spefically asked for me, the Sheriff sure told you." He said, not able to deny his annoyed attitude.

"Oh, you must be Damon then." She immediatly said, smiling a little.

"Yeah." He replied, giving her a sarcastic little smile.

His cocky attitude was still there, after all.

After the nurse let him in, he quietly closed the door, careful not to make too much noise. The room was a bit darker than before. They had probably lowered the shutters to make her rest better.

He couldn't help but smile lovingly at her sight. She was laying on her side all curled up. She was so _beautiful_. And she seemed so peaceful, almost like an angel. He quickly shook his thoughts off, not wanting to sound too cheesy..but it was the truth.

He still had to figure out why she had asked for him in the first place though. She was torturing him slowly but he loved every second of it.

He took a sit on the chair next to her bed, taking one of her flat hands in his and caressing it softly.

"I promise I will never let anything happen to you again, love." He whispered, squeezing her hand.

He still blamed himself for what happened to her. And probably always would have. But he meant those words, he would have always looked after her from now on.

* * *

><p>Strangely, when she woke up, she didn't feel the fear or the anxiety that she felt while falling asleep. She felt light, peaceful, kissed…oh wait what? She lazily opened her eyes just to find Damon placing soft kisses on her cheeks and on the side of her mouth. So he came for her..again.<p>

She felt goose-bumps taking form in her body. But this time not for fear or cold, but for warmth. Just having Damon an inch away from her, did crazy things to her system.

The important thing now was that he wash here. She actually felt relieved and more than ready to talk with Liz and take that heavy discussion off her chest.

She weakly wrapped her arms around his neck, breathing his intoxicating scent.

"Hey.." Damon said softly, pulling back to look at her face, "how are you feeling?" He asked while tucking her hair backwards.

"Much better." She said with a husky voice, smiling.

"Liz told me that you wanted to see me." He said smiling softly, as he took a seat on the side of her bed.

"Yes.." She took his hand again, feeling much more secure when she was holding it. "You know I still have to tell her everything about last night.." She was saying, "..and I have to tell you something, too." She said hesitantly.

His face literally lit up at those words, and she could see the hidden hope on his face. But as she was saying those words, someone knocked on the door. Goddamit, she thought. Why it always happened like that? She had a deja-vù of before and she felt incredibly annoyed as she found Liz and the cop entering in the room.

Every moment seemed the perfect one, but it always ended up ruined or interrupted. At least now Damon was beside her and hopefully wasn't going anywhere. As she saw Liz and the autoritary cop with her, she immediatly felt anxious all over again. Imponent figures always made her feel insecure.

She gripped Damon's hand tighter, and he returned her gesture, silently comforting her.

"So…are you ready, Elena? I promise we'll be quick and you won't have to think about it anymore." Liz ried to reassure her.

Wishful thinking..she thought. Still with Damon beside her everything was easier.

"Where's Jamie?" He suddenly asked.

"He's with the nurse." Liz replied.

Liz took a seat on the chair next to her bed. "You were at the part where that man grabbed you.." She said tentatively.

"Yes." She said, feeling more sure of herself now.

"He grabbed me tightly, while the other one was just searching for valuables into Jenna's car. I..I can't describe them precisely, though. I'm sorry Liz it was dark and one of them was wearing a cap.." Elena said shaking her head.

"Don't worry, Elena. That's not the most important thing. I just want to know the facts." She cut her off, giving her an encouraging smile.

She looked at Damon who seemed tense and stiff. His jaw was clenched and he seemed angry..dare she said that, furious. His expression almost scared her. When he noticed that she was looking at him though, he just gave her a reassuring smile, strongly squeezing her hand.

There it was the part that she hated the most. She took a deep breath.

"Then the one who was holding me knocked me on the ground, and the other one yelled at him because he wasn't being careful. I can definitely say that they were a team, even if they didn't seem very professional. But one of them was much more dominant than the other..at least I had this vibe." She explained.

"Typical." Liz nodded.

"As I told you, I didn't see much...I just noticed that they had deep voices, probably in their earl thirties. And one of them was called Fred, or something like that.." Elena said.

"Very good, Elena.." Liz said. "But did they..physically harm you, or did things that you need to tell us?" She then asked uncomfortably.

She was probably feelings uncomfortable not because of the question. Hell, as a cop that was your job. She was used to it. But because it was Elena who she was talking to. Little Elena Gilbert, the pratically almost sister of her own daughter.

Elena bit her lip, unsure of what to say. Luckily they didn't do anything to her..but should she tell even about the necklace? She didn't want to share that thought again. It hurt too much.

Seeing her being hesitant, Damon obviously thought about the worst. He got near her in a moment. Liz looked worried.

"Elena.." He said, cupping her face. "If you have something important to tell, do it. They're the only ones who can help you." He was saying softly, even though Elena could see that he was in pain.

She took the hands that were holding her face in hers, smiling softly at him. "Okay." She just said.

He didn't move. He sat near her, smoothly caressing her shoulder.

"They took my mother's necklace. Probably thinking that it was valuable.." She said, "...it was, for me." She said looking away.

Liz looked at her with hurt. "I'm so sorry, Elena." She said sincerely, standing up. "I promise you I will do everything possible to arrest those men and give you your necklace back, okay?" She asked.

She nodded smiling as she saw Liz and the other cop who wrote everything that she said in a blacknote heading out.

"I'm so sorry about it, Elena. But you'll see..it gets better, eventually." He said stroking her hair.

"I hope." She just shrugged numbly.

"Oh, before I forget.." Damon suddenly said changing subject, now grinning. "These are from Jamie and me. We made them together." He said chuckling.

"Oh my god, Damon..you don't even know how much it means to me right now." She said giggling. "With the food that they're giving me here.." She shook her head and made a face.

"You know, Jamie even told me to tell you that he made them all alone..so stay at the game. He's feeling really proud." He said winking.

"Of course." She said smiling genuinely.

They gazed at each other insensly, a look so intense that was hard to handle.

Another knock at the door interrumpted them and while she felt annoyed for the most part, the other one was kind of glad. The insensity in the room was just too much. But still, couldn't she have some freaking privacy in the room?

"I'm sorry, but visits are done for today." She nurse said before heading out again.

"Pain in the ass.." Damon muttered as she started giggling.

"Are you going to come back, tomorrow?" She now asked serious.

He lowered a little, to look at her in the eye.

"Of course I will." He said smiling. "But you better eat all your cookies, my dear." He said with his usual cocky smirk.

"Deal." She said laughing, shaking her head.

"See you tomorrow.." He said kissing her forehead.

"Tomorrow, cocky." She said mimicking his smirk.

A few hours later, Jenna got to the hospital to spend the night with her. Elena was very grateful to her aunt. She was always there for her and she still felt incredibly guilty about the car and everything.

"Hey.." Jenna said smiling, a bag on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Elena nodded. "I talked to Liz..at least I got it all off my chest, you know." She sighed.

"I understand, honey." Jenna said, caressing her hair. "It's going to be fine, you'll see." She smiled.

"I know.." Elena said. Someone else already told her...

"Anyway..I got a couples of movies we can watch tonight. But they're both chick-flicks so don't even start to complain." Jenna said pointing a finger at her.

"Okay, Jenna, whatever." Elena laughed. "You already know that I'll fall asleep in ten minutes." She teased her.

"I know." Jenna pouted.

"So..did the doctors say when I can leave? With the painkillers my leg is going fine, and I hate being into this room it's so depressing." Elena said as Jenna was putting on her pajama.

"You don't have major damages, so yeah you could actually leave whenever you feel to." Jenna shrugged, as she threw herself on the other bed.

"Okay, tomorrow it is then." Elena immediatly said.

Jenna chuckled. "Why...can't wait to see Damon?" She teased.

"Jenna!" Elena hissed. "Well...kinda, yes." She then said smirking, founding herself thinking about Damon. _Again._

"You're head over heels for him, aren't you." Jenna said.

"Yeah…" Elena admitted with a sigh. "But I honestly don't know if he feels the same way too. He's always so sweet and caring with me, he has even told me that he wants to be with me..but I don't know, what if the only thing that he feels is pity?"

"Oh my god, Elena." Jenna said in disbelief shaking her head. "I can't believe that you actually believe what you're saying! Clearly he's _crazy_ about you too. He's caring, he's sweet, he's nice..he has even told you that he wants to be with you. What else do you want?" She said incredulously.

"Plus you had to see when he brought you here. He was so panicked. God, he was even more panicked than me and Jeremy. His face and the way he talked about you pretty much said everything about his feelings for you. Believe me..those things are _hard_ to mask." Jenna said.

"I know. He's such an incredible person and he doesn't even know it." Elena said, smiling softly. "I wanted to talk to him today. Twice, actually. But both times we got interrupted so I'm just waiting..for the right moment."

"Don't worry. He will wait for you." Jenna assured her. "I'm just sorry about Elijah..poor guy seems to be pretty into you, too." She chuckled.

"I know, and I'm sorry about that..it's just that it wouldn't have worked anyway, you know. He's a good friend but that's it." Elena shrugged.

"Have you told Caroline yet?" Jenna asked.

"Something.." Elena chuckled. "But you know how she is. She would immediatly tell Stefan so I prefer to tell her in person."

"Sure, I know how she is.." Jenna chuckled too. "Anyway I'm going to tell the doctors that tomorrow morning you're ready to leave, okay?" She asked.

"Okay." Elena yawned.

"I suppose that we're not going to see those chick-flicks, are we?" Jenna asked amused, forrowing a brow.

Elena didn't even reply to her as she fell deeply asleep.

"She just can't wait to dream about Damon.." Jenna said rolling her eyes and turning off the light.

* * *

><p>That morning Damon just couldn't wait to get up. That night Jenna texted him saying that Elena would have got out of the hospital in the morning. She asked him if he wanted Elena to stay with her for a while, or just drive her to the boarding house already. Obviously, Damon didn't have to be asked twice.<p>

He had even let Jamie stay home, so he could help him do the best 'welcome back' thing for Elena. That in the end, was just between the three of them. Still he wanted to do something special for Elena. She had just ricovered, taking her out somehwere wasn't even an option at the moment, so he asked to Jamie Elena's favorite dishes and movies.

He wanted her to feel home.

"So, are you really sure that pasta carbonara is Elena's favorite?" He asked as he paced around the kitchen room.

"Yes, Uncle Damon." Jamie sighed. "One night Elena came to dinner and daddy asked her which was her favorite dish. And she replied pasta carbonara." He affirmed with a firm nod.

"Dessert?" He then asked.

"Strawberry cheese-cake." Jamie said with another affirmative nod.

It was amusing to see how sure of himself and proud about knowing all that little things he was.

"Okay." Damon stated. "So while I take care of these things, why don't you do a drawing for Elena? Just, not with us holding hands this time okay…" He said uncomfortably.

"Okay Uncle Damon!" Jamie affirmed as he ran picking his stuff.

He put all his stuff on the counter, sitting on a tool and starting drawing. The kid seemed to really love doing that.

"I almost forgot..do you even know her favorite movies?" He asked.

"Mmh..no." Jamie said pouting. "Though I know that she likes Disney movies too and I have all..so can we watch one of them later? Please?" He pouted.

"Fine." Damon replied, rolling his eyes.

If someone would have told him two months ago that he was going to actually watch a Disney cartoon with his nephew, and the girl he was crazy in love with, he would have laughed in their face. But now he couldn't seem to get enough of that, apparently.

"Just don't tell to that broody of your father that you skipped school today.." He said annoyed, rolling his eyes. "Deal?"

"Deal." Jamie replied with a grin.

* * *

><p>"Okay so these are your painkillers, and this one the pomade for your bruises..alright?" Jenna said for the millionth time once she pulled at the boarding house drive way.<p>

"Yes, Jenna. I got it. If I feel too much pain I can take at last two painkillers at day. And I have to put on the pomade every night before going to bed." Elena replied rolling her eyes.

Sometimes Jenna reminded her of her mother. The apprehensive side was a family thing.

"Okay. Don't hesitate to call me if there's any problem.." Jenna said. "But oh, wait, you have your prince charming silly me." She then teased.

"Goodbye, Jenna. And have a good day!" She replied sarcastically, sticking her tongue out.

There it was her heart that was beating like a drum once again. She felt nervous but at the same time excited. Things with Damon were going to change..if in good or in bad, she still didn't know.

She opened the door quietly, hearing some music and noises coming from the kitchen. She istantly frowned. What was all that about? Damon knew that she was coming, right? She tip-toed to the kitchen just to find Jamie drawing on the counter, and Damon cooking. And oh god…what that carbonara smell? She was almost drooling.

Jamie immediatly saw her but she shushed him with her finger. She wanted to surprise Damon. He was on his back so he couldn't see her, and the music that they put at the radio was pretty loud.

She got near him and pinched his hips. "Hello cocky." She said lowly, with a grin on her face.

"What the – " He was saying almost pissed off as he pratically jumped. As he turned around, his eyes were pratically glittering with surprise though. "Elena.." He said, and without even thinking he took her in his arms. "What are you even doing here this early? You ruined my surprise.." He pouted.

Now it was her turn to be surprised. "Is this for me?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He seemed confused at the gesture, but quickly accomplished wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

"Of course.." He said smirking. "And wait until you see the dessert." He winked at her.

"Thank you." She whispered, softly kissing his cheek, letting her lips rest on his cheek for a little too long.

"Elena.." He then said, pulling away slightly. "What are we doing here? I mean you're with Elijah..and hell I would be willing to be your friend just to have you around, but you're making it _incredibly_ difficult." He said looking at her intensly in the eye.

She looked at him with understanding in her eyes. She didn't mean to hurt him or upset him.  
>"I know." She nodded. "But I'm not with Elijah, Damon. He's just a friend and you got it all wrong when you saw us together.." She said.<p>

"Well Elena I don't know what for you is 'getting wrong', but I saw you holding hands, and the way he looks at you. Not to mention what you said to Caroline on the phone.." He said the last part trying to sound bitter, but his eyes were screaming vulnerability as he bit his bottom lip.

She started caressing his soft raven locks, lightly kissing him on the lips. "I wasn't talking about Elijah." She confessed, looking at him in the eye.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hello guys! :) Here's another chappie. Hope you'll like it. Please leave me some reviews letting me know what you think. I love to know what you think.. :)**

**Oh, and I wanted to ask one thing lol. Would you prefer Anna/Jeremy or Bonnie/Jeremy? I prefer Anna and Jeremy but let's put it to the votes. Haha. XOXO**

* * *

><p>"I wasn't talking about Elijah." She confessed, looking at him in the eyes.<p>

He froze. "What.." He whispered, shaking his head. He probably hadn't heard right.

"You know..I was talking about some black raven haired guy. He has baby blue eyes..he's kind of an ass – and he's got a sexy one - now I wonder who could it be?" She teased. She looked up as she pretended to be pensitive, smirking smugly.

Was she..was she talking about him? Was it actually true? It was quite obvious that there was something between them, that she still felt it too. But Damon just thought about how much he had screwed up with her, and how little he deserved Elena over that perfect dummy of Elijah. He wouldn't hurt her, he was too good to do something like that..especially to a girl like Elena. So why did she make the wrong choice? He wanted to be with her more than anything. Hell, he had never wanted something like he wanted _her_. And it wasn't about the chase, it was about how she made him feel. If he had her, he would never let her go.

Stop being such a pensitive broody, you're not Stefan, he thought. To hell with it! If Elena wanted him then he would make sure of keep it that way.

He gave her one of his best mischevious smirks, which turned into a grin when he scooped her into his arms and kissed her passionately. Her lips were soft and swollen, and he found himself craving them like it was an addiction. She deepened the kiss and he felt her smile on his lips. She squealed lightly as Damon cupped her ass.

"PG, Salvatore! We're in front of a kid." She said as she playfully slapped his arm.

He pouted. "Oh come on, don't you think he's used to my brother and Blondie, by now? And sorry if I just want to claim this beautiful girl in my arms as mine.." He then whispered, nibbling at her bottom lip and letting his hands travel all over her body.

It was when her cheeks started getting flushed and she let out something like a moan, that he knew that they needed to stop. For theirs and Jamie's sake. What a drag, though.

She softly pushed him off her, as he got back to the stove. She threw one last glance at him before heading to Jamie and he winked at her.

* * *

><p>Luckily he seemed oblivious to what had just happened as he kept drawing intensly. Elena noticed that he loved drawing, and that he actually did it good. She should let him meet Jeremy one day, they would get along easily. Still she was surprised at how much maturity Jamie had. He was such a quiet kid, but still he was kind and adorable. He didn't open up to many people but when he did, you could see how special he was. Elena couldn't help but think if he and Stefan had ever touched his mother argument..<p>

"Hey, Jam..what are you drawing?" She asked softly, as she petted his head.

"The huge house that we have in the mountains. You know, it's even bigger than this one. We go celebrate Christmas and spend part of the holiday there every year." He said proudly.

"I've always loved the mountain, you know? When I was a kid my parents always took me and my brother skiing. It's been a while now..." She sighed.

"Why aren't you going anymore? Where are your parents?" He asked.

"They're in a better place right now, Jam. I think I won't see them for a while." She chuckled humorlessy.

"Do you think my mom is there, too?" He asked, looking at her in the eyes.

Oh, god. She couldn't deal with this. It wasn't her business and she didn't want to touch an already fragile situation. Of course he had wondered where his mother was. It was the most natural thing in the world the bond between a mother and a child. Elena actually felt hate for Katherine in that moment, for leaving such an innocent creature. Not even giving him a chance. She felt tears forming in her eyes but immediatly composed herself.

"I honestly don't know." She said quietly, giving him a sad smile.

He seemed disappointed for a moment, but he quickly got back to drawing. Luckily one minute after Damon was bringing their dishes.

"Here it is your carbonara, princess. Al dente.." He whispered in her ear.

She smiled contently as she savored her pasta. God, it was so good! Damon obviously knew one thing or two about cooking. Of course, he was Italian, how couldn't he. Elena pratically didn't talk for the whole meal as she ate, refilling her plate twice.

"This is so yummy, Uncle Damon. Can you do it more often, please?" Jamie said as the sauce was all over his mouth.

Damon chuckled as he saw Jamie so excited. "Okay, kid. Now wipe your mouth." He said handing him a napkin.

"Thank you, Damon..it really feels like being home. You're making all much easier." Elena said as she reached for his hand, squeezing it.

"Anything for my girl." He said serious, squeezing it back.

Elena actually melted at those words. _His_ girl. She was his girl. Damon Salvatore's _girl_. She smiled fondly at him as he got closer to kiss her cheek. It was such a simple gesture, but still it gave her goose-bumps all over her body.

"How are you feeling?" He asked softly, stroking her hand.

"Way better than these past few days. I have to take my painkiller right after lunch, though. And I think I will lay down for a while.." She said.

"Of course..is there anything I can do, love?"

She smiled a little at him, standing up from her seat as she went sitting on his lap. His arms immediatly wrapped around her waist as he planted a chaste kiss on her neck. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're already doing enough..but thank you. Especially for being here for me." She said.

"Always." He whispered.

She then noticed Jamie staring at them and she blushed a little. After all, she was still his nanny and Stefan's employee.

"You're cute." He said smiling genuinely. "Is Lena your girlfriend like Caroline is daddy's, Uncle D?"

"If she wants to.." He said smiling at her, as she kissed his lips smiling too.

"Ew. Now you're being even more gross than daddy and Caroline, though." Jamie said disapprovingly.

"Never." Damon said chuckling and glaring at him, standing up to take the dessert.

Elena chuckled too as she watched him walking. Damn, if he was sexy.

"You know.." Jamie said, leaning closer. "Once I heard daddy and Caroline talking. She called Uncle Damon an 'asshole'. Is that a bad thing? It seemed." Jamie said, whispering.

She gasped. She knew that Caroline wasn't exactly Damon's first fan, but still.. "Yeah Jam I don't want you to say that word ever again, okay? And just so you know, your uncle isn't that word at all. He's a wonderful person…he just, doesn't open up easily. That is." She said.

"I know. Daddy said that too to Caroline!" He replied.

She smiled fondly at him as Damon came back with three pieces of cake. And was that…cheese-cake? Strawberry cheese-cake? The lunch was perfect. Damon had preciously cooked all her favorites and Elena knew that he had been getting help from Jamie.

"Oh my god Damon this is delicious! How come that you've never cooked for us before?" She said as she chewed, glaring at him.

"Because he's lazy." Jamie chuckled.

"Hey! Watch your words, kid." He said almost offended. "Trust me..I'm not lazy at _all_." He said, smirking mischeviously at Elena.

She just rolled her eyes and blushed. His sexual innuendos were unbelievable.

"Can we watch a movie now?" Jamie asked.

"Sure. What do you want to watch?" Elena asked.

"_Kung-Fu Panda_? I still have it in my suitcase. I brought some movies from home."

She chuckled lightly. "Okay then, _Kung-Fu Panda_ is. Go put it while we fix in here."

He nodded excitedly as he ran picking it. As Elena stood up to take the dishes, Damon immediatly stopped her.

"Nah ah. I'll take care of these while you go laying down a little." He said firmly.

"You sure?"

He walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He planted two kisses on her cheeks and one on her forehead. "Yes." He said nodding firmly. "I'll just put them in the dishwasher and then I'll do everything tonight."

She nodded, giving him one quick kiss on the lips and going in the living room. She took one of the painkillers from her bag, sitting on the couch and laying down her hurting leg. It still hurt and the bruises were still there. That and the little headaches that she got once in a while because of the concussion were the major pain in the ass issues.

The doctor specified that she didn't have to walk too much for at least one week, and that the pain from the concussion would have passed in a couple of days. She huffed in frustration. At least she had Damon around, who was always so caring and sweet to her. He was beautiful and strong and he was all _hers_.

A few minutes later Jamie came back with the dvd in his hands, inserting it immediatly. He sat on the big armchair in the corner of the room, placing a little blanket on his legs.

After a few minutes Damon came too, plopping on the couch next to her and throwing an arm round her shoulder. He sniffed her hair and smiled contently as she snuggled closer to him, placing her head on his shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, carefully placing another blanket on her legs.

"You do realize that you asked it like thirty minutes ago, right?" She giggled kissing his shoulder.

"Well thirty minutes ago were thirty minutes ago…now?" He said as if he had a point. He was so cute when he was being all attentive.

"I'm fine, Damon. Stop worrying." She said, snuggling closer to him. His smell was intoxicating. And it felt so right being in his arms.

A few minutes later she drifted into sleep.

* * *

><p>Jamie would ask him some thoughts about the movie from time to time, and even though he replied, he wasn't really paying attention to it. But rather to the beautiful girl resting in his arms. Elena had quickly fallen asleep, her hand entwined with his in his lap. She was perfect and Damon still didn't know how such an amazing girl could have chosen to be with him. For one hour he just watched her sleep, occasionally placing kisses on the top of her head or caressing her smooth face. After the movie ended Jamie said that he was going to do some homework and get some sleep, too.<p>

He gently took Elena in his arms, bringing her up the stairs to her room. He carefully placed her down, tucking her under the covers and kissing her forehead.

It was a little after 3pm, so he decided to go and buy some food for tonight. He would have asked her if she wanted something speficic to eat, but he decided against it. She was sleeping so peacefully that he just didn't want to wake her up. She was probably still in pain and it actually hurt him, too. He placed another soft kiss on her lips and she mumbled something that he found quite adorable. He took one last glance at her, then closing the door behind him.

He found Jamie's door half open and he entered quietly, noticing that he was doing his homework on the bed.

"Hey kiddo..what's up?" He asked as he kneeled at the edge of the bed.

"I'm doing math. I hate it.." He sighed.

He didn't look sad, but he seemed a bit down. Probably he missed Stefan. After all, it was two months that he was gone now. Hell, even Damon missed him.

"Mmh..what about you take a break and come with me doing some shopping?" He said. "You can always tell me some other things to cook for Elena." He then offered with a wink.

Jamie immediatly ligthen up, jumping off the bed as he followed Damon.

"I love you Uncle Dammie." He said.

"H..eck. Don't call me Uncle Dammie." He said nearly disgusted, which made Jamie laugh. "And I love you too..just when you don't call me Uncle Dammie, though." He said with a smile.

* * *

><p>Elena woke up feeling a little dizzy, but way better than some hours before. Her leg wasn't hurting like before and luckily she didn't have headaches. She found herself laying in bed and under the covers. How did she get there? The last thing she remembered was that she was cuddling with Damon on the couch. And that she fell asleep. So he probably brought her to bed..she smiled a little at the thought. She only hoped that things wouldn't have changed once Stefan was back and that she didn't have to stay at the boarding house anymore.<p>

She then felt her phone buzzing on the nightstand.

"Hello?" She said as she quickly picked it up.

"Elena!" An excited Bonnie said from the other line.

"Oh my god, Bon..how are you?" She immediatly replied with the same tone.

It was so good to hear Bonnie again. Ever since she moved to California she didn't hear from her so often. She was always so busy.

"I'm fine. Just tired, but fine. What about you? I'm so sorry that I'm not calling as much as before..I miss you guys. All of you." She then said sounding sad.

"Don't worry. We understand you. You're studying law, after all." Elena said with a smile. "You're coming back for Christmas though, right?"

"Of course! Actually I'm coming back in a little more than a week. I'm stay for three weeks..I'm so excited!" She pratically squealed.

"Me too..there's so much that we have to tell each other. So much happened.." Elena said with a grin.

"Mmh..on a romantic level, you mean?" She asked sounding suspicious.

"Maybe.." Elena teased giggling.

Bonnie seemed hesitant for a moment. "How's Jeremy?" She then asked quietly.

"Bonnie…" Elena warned.

Bonnie and Jeremy used to date when they were still in highschool. They had been together for almost two years and they broke up a few months after Bonnie moved to California. It was too hard and stressful to keep long distance relationship so they broke it off.

They had both been devastated, especially Bonnie. She called Elena almost every night crying on the phone. Jeremy on the other hand just hid himself in his art, but Elena could see him suffering too. It was a pity because they were a cute couple. He seemed to have moved on now, but Elena didn't know if Bonnie did too.

"I'm just asking, Elena. I just want to know how he's doing." She sighed.

"He's doing great. He improves every day a little more, his art is amazing. He's actually found a job at a gallery art." She said smiling, then remembering who else she would have to deal with of that gallery art…

"I'm happy for him..I always knew that he was born to do it." She said fondly.

Elena thought that she probably would have wanted to ask her about his personal life, but with her big surprise, she didn't.

"I have to go now. I'll call you as soon as I get in Mystic Falls. Okay? Love you Lena."

"Okay. I can't wait. Love you too, Bon." She said hanging up.

How she missed her friends. She, Bonnie, and Caroline used to be inseparable. Obviously with Caroline it was always the same, but not having Bonnie around, just changed things.

Elena got out of her room, not finding anyone at home. It was completely quiet and she wondered where Damon and Jamie could be. She then checked her phone, finding a text. Damon. She immediatly smiled.

_On our way home. :) We went out a little after you fell asleep. How are you feeling?_

She was about to reply when another text appeared on her screen. Elijah…damn it.

_Hi Elena. How are you? When can I see you? - Elijah_

She nervously bit her lip. She wasn't good at it. At the whole dumping thing, and she actually didn't like it. It made her feel a bitch but she had to do it.

_Hey! I'm doing fine, thank you. I actually have to talk to you..why don't you come over at the boarding house?_ She asked.

Damon would have probably hated it, but she had to talk to him as soon as possible and in her conditions she couldn't leave the house or drive for a few days. After sending the text to Elijah, she called Damon. He picked up almost immediatly.

"Hello, baby girl." He said with his sexy voice and she smiled.

"Hey, love." She said even though she sounded a little worried, knowing what was coming after. "Look..I hope you don't mind, but I said to Elijah to come here so we could talk. It's not a problem for you, right?" She asked quickly, biting her bottom lip in worry.

She heard him growling from the other line. But with her big surprise, he seemed less annoyed than she thought. "Fine. How long do you think it will take?" He then asked.

In that moment her phone buzzed receiving an 'okay' from Elijah.

"I don't know..a while, maybe. I just want to be clear with him Damon. Can you and Jamie stay out a little longer?" She asked.

"Okay. See you later." He sighed. Just when she was about to hang up she heard Jamie's tiny voice. "Lena! Give me an advice. M&M's or Oreo cookies? Uncle D said that I can only take one." He said.

"M&M's. The ones with hazelnuts, though. Bye." She chuckled, hanging up.

She looked in the mirror seeing if she was at least presentable. After brushing her hair a little bit more and adding some light make up, she decided that she was okay. Before heading downstairs, her eyes dropped on Damon's door. It was closed, and she was totally tempted to enter in his room since she had never really seen it before. She blushed as the thought what they could do in that room…shaking her embarassing thoughts out of her mind she headed downstairs. Ten minutes after the doorbell rang.

"Hey." She said, trying to smile.

He had a smile on his face too..and he had even bought her flowers. Shit, it was already difficult, knowing that he still was totally clueless made it harder for her.

"Hello Elena." He said smoothly, heading her the flowers and kissing her cheek.

"Why don't you have a seat?" She said a little tensly, motioning for the couch.

He seemed a bit confused but he took a seat. She just hoped that she didn't come too harsh for him.

"Look, Elijah..I really like you. You're an amazing guy and I've spent a great time with you. I just..prefer to keep things between us friendly, if you're willing to." She said.

He really looked hurt for a moment, before composing himself not to show it. He stayed quiet for a few more moments. "It's because of Damon, isn't it?" He said with a slight smile.

She nodded. "Yes." She just replied.

"Do you love him?" He asked all of a sudden.

Elena froze for an istant. Did she love him? The answer was yes, she was in love with Damon. And it was the most beautiful thing she had ever felt.

"Yes." She found herself saying again, this time with a real smile crossing her face.

They stayed in an awkward silence for a few minutes.

"I wish you the best then, Elena." Elijah said standing up and heading for the door. "You really are an awesome girl. Tell Damon to take care of you. He would be a fool if he ever let you go."

"Thank you, Elijah." Elena said taking his hand and squeezing it. "You know we could always remain…"

"Friends? My feelings for you are deeper, Elena. I don't know if I could. Maybe eventually." He said with a shrug. "Goodbye Elena." He said quickly heading out.

She sighed heavily. At least it was done. She laid on the couch putting a comfy blanket on her legs, reading a book. It was _The Notebook_. She and Caroline had watched the movie hundred times, with Caroline sobbing everytime. She had even bought the book and lent it to Elena. It was good, so far. Forty minutes after Jamie and Damon finally came back, and Elena grinned immediatly. She stood up wrapping the tiny blanket around her shoulders. The winter was coming and it was getting pretty cold.

"Hi Lena." Jamie mumbled before running upstairs.

She grinned at her handsome _boyfriend_ who was taking his leather jacket off. He grinned too, spreading his arms for her and she run to him. God, how she loved it. They were finally able to show their feelings for each other and she was loving every second of it. There was no explanation of how good it felt being held, kissed and loved by Damon. It made her the happiest person in this world.

"Hey, baby girl.." He whispered as he held her close to him, kissing the top of her head.

She sighed in content as her arms wrapped tighter around his waist.

"I love it." She sighed.

"What?" He asked, looking at her in the eyes.

"Being in your arms. Being your girl. I love it." She said smiling as she planted a kiss on his soft lips.

"Me too." He said, his bright eyes full of honesty. "So…have you talked to the dummy? Er, Elijah?" He smirked as she played with his hair.

"Damon!" She said glaring at him. "Don't mock him, please. He's a really good guy. And yes, I've talked to him." She said quietly.

Seeing that the argument made her feel quite uncomfortable, he quickly switched the subject.

"Okay then. Care to help me preparing dinner?" He said kissing her forehead.

"At your service, Mr. Salvatore." She smirked slightly, heading into the kitchen with him.

The night went quiet and good. It had been fun cooking with Damon. He was amazing at cooking and she almost drooled while smelling all the delicious sauces. Jamie joined them as he settled the table and chatted a little. It came out that he wanted to call Damon Uncle 'Dammie' at all costs because one of his friends at school was named Damien and everyone called him Dammie. Of course, Damon being Damon, was annoyed and said that it was lame. Elena laughed the whole time at their interactions, seeing how close they were though. Truthfully she would have missed Jamie once that Stefan was back.

After dinner they catched up some TV, but the whole time she was being distracted by Damon constantly touching her and kissing and nibbling at her neck. She was sure that if Jamie wasn't there, it would have turned into a huge make out session. A little after 9pm she settled Jamie to bed.

"Damon?" She called as she returned into the living room.

"Yes?" He said from the couch.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his temple.

"I think I'm going to bed, too. I don't know why but these drugs that I'm taking really turn me off." She huffed.

"Don't worry, you need to rest. Call me if you need anything though, okay?" He said kissing her lips.

"Sure. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He said winking at her.

She couldn't wait to stop taking those damn drugs. They made her feel weak and tired. She felt like an old person. She washed her face and took her painkiller, putting her pajamas on. She kept reading the book for other thirty minutes when she remembred that she had to put the pomade on her bruises. Damn it. It was so annoying.

She carefully opened the box, appling the cream on the hurting bruises. There was a part of her leg though, that she couldn't quite reach. The doctor specifically said that she had to put on the pomade on all her bruises. He had probably assumed that she lived with Jenna or someone who could help her. And indeed, she did..but she didn't know if she was actually ready to be in front of Damon only with her panties. She blushed at the thought. Oh, no, she couldn't do it. But she had to. Well but he's my boyfriend, right? she thought, trying to convince herself. After a few minutes of pacing back and fort in the bathroom she decided to go for it. She brushed her hair and applied just a bit of her Victoria's Secret perfume, the one Caroline bought for her birthday. She felt so ridiculous. What would she do when they would go there..? The thought actually terrified her. Damon was sex on legs, a God sex and she had only been with Matt before. Perfect..just, perfect.

She put her robe on and took a deep breath. It was a little after 10pm so probably he wasn't sleeping. Going downstairs she noticed that the lights were turned off..so he was in his room. She cleared her throat and knocked softly on his door.

"Yeah?" His smooth voice called.

"Can I come in?" Elena asked shyly, peeking through the door.

He was laying on the bed reading a book. Luckily he wasn't naked or something, or Elena seriously couldn't make it.

"Of course you can, Lena." He said in a obvious tone. He actually seemed surprised that she had even asked. "Are you okay?" He then asked a little worried.

"Yeah I'm fine. I just have to ask you something.." She said as she looked around the room.

It was truly beautiful. Probably the most beautiful in the entire house. It was huge, his bed was a king size one and the furnitures were all in black or modern wood. The moquet was black too. It was very Damon-ish.

"And what is it?" He asked smirking.

"I, ehm, I have to put a pomade on my bruises and there is a part of my leg that I can't reach.." She said looking at him in the eyes, biting her lip.

"Oh, I see.." He said, standing up. "So you want my help?" He asked raising an eyebrow, entwining her hands in his as he stood in front of her.

"Yes." She said.

He gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Okay, give me this pomade then." He said.

With trembling hands she handed him the cream, suddenly feeling giddy. What was wrong with her? It was just Damon. Still she felt anxious, and embarassed. He had seen tons of women. Beautiful women, obviously more attractive than her. What if he didn't like her? If he saw her as a turn off or he just didn't feel attracted? Elena had been with some guys, but only went that further with Matt, and they were in highschool and to be honest Matt wasn't a very experienced guy too.

She sat on the edge of his bed, huffing in frustration. Hell, she would feel more comfortable around Elijah touching her thigh right now and he wasn't even her boyfriend and she didn't feel anything for him. Her stupid insecurities. When he saw that something was wrong, Damon immediatly sat near her.

"Hey is everything okay?" He asked concerned, stroking her back.

"No." She sighed taking her head in her hands. "I'm not okay, Damon. I feel ashamed." She confessed quietly, looking at him in the eyes.

His expression was a confused one. Like he really had no idea of what she was talking about. "About what?" He asked shaking his head.

"About me! Damon you're so handsome and beautiful. You've been with plenty of women, sure even more beautiful than me. When I've just been with Matt because he's the only one I've been with since highschool and until some months ago. So what if you don't like me? I know that I'm being a total buzz-killer and that I'm annoying but this is bugging me so much." She said, not able to look at him in the eyes. "I'm not even ready for, you know..that." She whispered.

He sighed, and she felt his strong arms taking her waist and pulling her in his lap. "First of all, chill, Lena." He said chuckling softly, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "Believe me or not, you're perfect. And you have nothing to feel ashamed about. You understand me? I can assure you that every guy out there would kill to call you his." He said taking her chin, forcing her to look at him. "You're the most amazing woman that I've ever met, Elena. You're kind, beautiful, and strong. You don't even know how you make me feel. No woman could compare to you. You got me hooked just with one look, and I mean that. And believe me…what you had with Matt is probably much more experience than what I had with all those women. They meant nothing to me. And I'm screwed up, I do lots of messes so I should be the one feeling ashamed. I feel proud because you chose to be with me." He said intensly. He saw the tears in her eyes as she smiled softly. She was so fucking beautiful. "And I can wait all the time you want, baby girl. Don't worry." He said holding her close.

"Oh, Damon…" She cried out wrapping her arms tight around his neck.

What he said to her was probably the most beautiful thing she had ever heard about herself. There were no words to describe how he made her feel. She felt mad at him just a little because he was such a sweet and beautiful person when he wanted to. So she was mad that most of the people saw him as a jerk just because he didn't let people in easily.

"Thank you. You're so good to me." She said kissing his neck.

He chuckled softly. "I just told you the truth, El." He said. "Now let's put you that pomade." He said standing up.

She took the shorts of her pj off and let him see the part of her thigh that she couldn't reach. Actually, she could. But it was the back of it and since even her shoulder hurt she couldn't move her arm properly. She was such a mess. She secretly appreciated the look that Damon wasn't able to hold back as he saw her bare legs. He wanted her and she could see it in his eyes..and in something else. It flattered her.

"All done." He said closing the pomade, smirking slightly.

She glanced at the clock and it indicated that it was almost eleven. He probably wanted to sleep. She should have gone in her room…but something just couldn't let her. As she felt the windows making a loud noise because of the wind, she jumped slightly shivering a little. It would be the first night that she would sleep alone after what happened and the house was so huge and dark. She was scared.

"Damon.." She said in a quiet voice, too scared to hear it trembling. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" She asked.

"Of course you can love." He said sweetly. "And how could I even refuse a girl who's pratically offering to jump into my bed?" He joked.

She rolled her eyes at him, punching his chest as she laid down. "You're not funny! And I think that you should reconsider what you just said. I am the only one allowed to jump into your bed. You understand me, sweetie?" She asked raising her eyebrows matter-of-factly at him, scratching his shoulder a little too hard.

"Oh look at Miss Gilbert here, being all possessive.." He said in a husky voice, licking his lips.

"Very much so." She said huskily too, kissing him. "What were you reading?" She asked between kisses.

She loved kissing his whole face. From his lips, his cheeks, his nose, his eyelids, his forehead...she could spend her entire life just kissing the hell out of Damon.

"Kamasutra." He said, and she stopped kissing him to look at him in the eyes a little appalled.

He chuckled. "Kidding. It was _Gone With The Wind_, actually. I was looking through Stefan's old stuff before and I found it." He said with a shrug.

It was so comforting to have his warm body on top of hers. She loved it. "Aw, how romantic." She giggled, while he gently kissed her neck and collarbone.

She yawned and he looked at her with an amused expression. "Mmh..this isn't the reaction that I usually get." He chuckled.

She pouted a little. "Sorry. I know, I seem such an old lady..I should probably stop taking these drugs that make me so damn tired." She said.

"It's okay Lena. I was just kidding." He reassured as he stroked her hair softly.

She smiled at him. "Damon..?"

"Yeah?"

"How many women have actually been in this bed?" She asked all of a sudden. God, why did she even ask? Did the drugs even made her dumb?

He seemed genuinely surprised at her question. "Just one." He eventually said, smiling softly at her.

She actually laughed. "Yeah, sure." She said shaking her head.

"I'm serious, Elena. You're the only one that has ever been in my bed. With the others, you know…we just stayed downstairs or used one of the spare rooms. I've never allowed anyone but you here." He said serious.

He was serious, and again he made her feel special. She was his first in something and she actually felt flattered about it.

She smiled sweetly. "Well let's make it good, then.." She said as she kissed him passionately.

After a little make out session, since Damon just wasn't able to keep his hands off her, and chatting for a while he turned off the light and held Elena close to his body from behind, throwing an arm around her and entwining their hands that were resting on her stomach. He had never slept like that with a woman before, but with Elena it only felt right. Like they did it a hundred more times before.

She snuggled closer to him, letting her body relax against his warm one. "Goodnight Damon." She said.

"Goodnight, baby girl." He replied kissing her head.

Elena woke up wonderfully. She didn't sleep like this in a long time and it was all because of Damon. She felt relaxed and light. When she turned around though, she saw that he wasn't there and she pouted.

She had woken up a couple of times that night scared from the noises, she was being paranoic and she knew it, but Damon was always there to sooth her and hold her close to him. She immediatly checked the clock and it signaled 7am. Damon was probably bringing Jamie at school. She noticed a note on the night stand; _Bringing Jamie at school. Be back soon. If you wake up before I come back, I left you the cheese-cake from yesterday on the table. Suit yourself. Love, Damon._

She grinned at the post-it. He was so caring and attentive. She stayed in bed another couple of minutes before getting up. It was incredibly cold today and she put one of Damon's sweaters on. It smelled like him and she already wanted the real Damon there to hold her.

She cleaned up and headed downstairs, ready to savor that awesome strawberry cheese-cake again. Just then someone rang at the door. Elena frowned. Who could possibly be? Damon had the keys, and it was incredibly early.

She went to open it and she found a man, probably in his late sixties, in front of her. He looked incredibly serious in his suit and it made her feel quite uncomfortable.

"How can I help you?" She asked frowning a little.

The look that the man gave her actually disgusted and irritated her. At first he looked at her almost with an amused expression, checking her out from tip to toe with a mischevious smile, but then he returned to his serious face.

"I am Giuseppe Salvatore. And who are _you_?"


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hello guys! :) Okay first of all THANK YOU for your reviews, alerts and favorites. They all mean so much to me and please always leave a review because I really appreciate them.**

**And I wanted to clarify another thing. Someone told me that there's another story with a similiar plot and that I pratically 'stole' the idea from it. Just..no. There are tons of fanfics about Damon and Elena, and founding some familiars plots is not a surprise. That said, I was curious though so I went searching for that fic that this person was talking about. But honestly, the only thing that I see something familiar with is Elena being a nanny. In this story Katherine doesn't appear and probably never will, and here it is _Stefan's _son not Damon's. Plus here Jamie has always been part of Stefan's life he didn't come out all of a sudden. Seriously you won't even care right now haha but honestly I just wanted to make it clear, if someone has read that other story :) I always try to get more original as I can and if this story came out so familiar with that one..my bad, then. But I really see no stealing so um please next time before pointing a finger think twice...**

**_Sorry for all this rambling! I know it was annoying but I really had to say it XD Remember to review. Love you all 33_  
><strong>

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><p>"I am Giuseppe Salvatore. And who are you?"<p>

Shit. Suddenly Elena hoped that Damon was there for her. Meeting his father was not something she had planned on doing anytime soon. Especially when she had heard from Damon and even Stefan how a cold and manipulative man he was. And wasn't he supposed to be on a trip with Stefan?

"Oh, Mr. Salvatore..nice to meet you, I'm Elena Gilbert." Elena said politely, extending her hand even though a little embarassed.

Giuseppe though completely ignored her as he stepped into the house. Well hello, _asshole_. Elena thought.

"Can I get you something? A coffee, perhaps?" She asked, pulling Damon's sweater tighter to her body.

"No, thank you. Where is my son?" He faked a smile and sat on the couch.

Elena tentatively sat on the opposite one.

"He's bringing Jamie at school. I could always tell him that you stopped by, though." She offered.

He chuckled shaking his head. "No thanks Milena. I'd rather speak to him myself." He said as he looked around, tapping his foot as if he was in a hurry.

"It's Elena." She mumbled annoyed.

"So..you still haven't answered my question. Who are you?" He asked after a few minutes.

She was tempted to say 'Well I told you my name, and not only you didn't even introduce yourself properly asshole, but you even forgot it after a minute'. She so wanted to do it, the pissed Elena in her already wanted to ramble at this man. But she kept quiet and answered what he wanted to know.

"I'm Damon's girlfriend, oh and Jamie's nanny." She said.

He looked at her in disbelief for a few moments before laughing, he seemed really amused as he kept laughing shaking his head.

"Yes, sure..I can only imagine what do you mean with being Damon's girlfriend." He said still chuckling amused.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked serious, crossing her arms. Who did he think he was? As far as she knew he never really cared for Damon's life, so judging him was the last he could afford to do. He had no rights on this.

He eyed her again with that look. Almost as if he had pity of her.

"You know exactly what I mean, Milena."

"It's Elena." She said, this time firmly.

"_Whatever_." Giuseppe replied looking at her in the eyes with a look that said that he could care less what her name was.

"And no, I don't know what you mean. We haven't been together for a very long time but I've always known that Damon was a good and caring person. So please, Mr. Salvatore, explain yourself."

"Well, being Damon's 'girlfriend' doesn't conxist in screwing around and being a brainless nut?" He said giving her a pointed look, raising his eyebrows.

She could have sworn that she grew red at that comment. Again, who did he think he was? He was such an intolerable man and they had been in the same room for not even ten minutes. She could only imagine what Damon and Stefan had to go through. Before she could reply though, he spoke again.

"He's an incompetent. He's a disgrace for this family and its name. And I hate saying this, but he's dragging even his own brother into this. I can't let this happen, they're my only sons. I have plan for them, Elena." He said growing serious.

She felt confused at what his statement meant exactly. "Damon is not an incompetent, he just has to find out what he wants to do with his life without pressure. I think that he's always been pushed into doing the opposite, to be quite honest." She said, glancing at him with the same hardness in her eyes.

Giuseppe's expression hardened, as he suddenly rose up from the couch. His angry one eventually became a devilish smile. "And this coming from a nanny?"

"With all due respect Mr. Salvatore, you know nothing about me." She said harshly, instinctively standing up too.

She looked at him and she just saw a man full of resentment and hatred. When she looked at him, into his eyes, at his face..she saw nothing about Damon. He had Stefan's green eyes and their jaws were similiar, but of Damon there was nothing, and to be honest she was just glad about it.

He came closer to her, assuming an autoritary manner. "Well, and I don't intend to. I don't care. What I'm asking you to do, _miss_, is to back off. Damon might be a disappointment but he's still my son and I still have plans for his future. He's going to come back working with me and his brother at our Company, he will settle, and eventually find a woman worth his name. Not a…nanny," as he said that his eyes traveled over her body in a disgusted manner "of my son's bastard child." He concluded.

Elena actually gasped at those words. How could he? Jamie was his nephew, he was a wonderful kid, son of his own son. Defining him a bastard was the most hurtful thing he could say. Couldn't he understand that it was an insult to Stefan and their whole family? She just prayed that he never told Stefan or worse Jamie, directly.

Now she could start to understand Damon and his hate for his father. He despised him and she could see why. That man was a monster. And they had spent most of their lives with him.

"Once again, Miss Elena, I'm demanding you to back. _off_." He simply stated pointing his finger at her before heading out and slamming the door.

Elena was frozen there in utter shock. She wanted to reply and tell him that he was no one to demand her something like that, that she _loved_ Damon. But he was already out of the door and his words still echoed in her mind.

She had expected him to be a cold person, but never this. What was she supposed to do now? Tell everything to Damon? Probably it would have made everything worse, he would have hated his father even more and probably a huge fight would have occurred. She sat there in silence as she thought about the possibilities. One thing she knew..this man wasn't worth Damon or Stefan's affection. He was supposed to be their father, not their master. Life could be so cruel sometimes. He was a man who treated his sons like dirt every second of his life. Her father, instead, who was a caring and loving father was taken away from her too soon. Life was a bitch.

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><p>Stefan would be back in five days, and as the realization started taking form Damon realized how much he would have missed Jamie. He had always loved his nephew, but in the last two months he realized how much he actually meant for him. How important he was in his life. He and Elena opened his eyes. He was no longer lost with himself, now he knew what mattered in life. It was family. The bond of a family. As Elena told him, running from his feelings would have only destroyed him eventually. She had been the first one seeing through him and his facade.<p>

The challenge now was proving it to everyone else. He wanted to be a better man, the man for her. Stefan would probably kill him when he found out about him and Elena, of course he would think that he messed around with her but that wasn't the case. He _loved_ her. And he would have been a fool if he ever let her go.

"Bye Uncle Damon. See you at four." Jamie said while heading out of the car, backpack on his shoulders.

Damon smiled at the sight. He was a mini Stefan.

He then wondered if Elena was still sleeping. When all this hell of waking up at seven in the morning would be over, he couldn't wait to wake up with her beside him, always if she let him, obviously. Falling asleep with Elena by his side the other night taught him that it wasn't all about sex and lust. The feelings were involved and they were important, too. He should have realized it way sooner. He would gladly wait all the time she needed if it meant having her in his bed. In any way. In that moment his phone vibrated and as he looked at the ID, he saw that it was his father. He rolled his eyes. And now what the hell could he want? It was more than two months that he didn't hear from him, two months that he didn't deign to call. In fact Damon was pretty sure that he needed something if he had called him. Especially this early. Not really in the mood, he rejected the call.

He pulled into the Boarding House driveway and got off the car. He opened the door quietly, fearing to wake Elena if she was still asleep.

He went into the living room just to find Elena sitting on the armchair reading a book.

"Goodmorning.." He said smiling, wrapping his arms around her neck and kissing her cheek.

She had been taken by surprise but smiled as he showered her face with kisses. It was so good to be able to do this. She was finally his.

"Goodmorning." She said returning his smile, that didn't quite reach her eyes though.

Damon eyed her suspiciously but decided to let go. He sat on the arm of the armchair.

"What are you reading?" He asked while petting her hair. The gesture seemed to have a soothing effect on her, even though she seemed still a little stiff.

"_The Notebook_." She said.

"Isn't it that chick-flick that all you girls love?" He asked rolling his eyes.

"Actually it's a beautiful love story. Not cheesy at all you know. It's just very popular so people tend to see it as a cliché." She said shrugging.

"Okay, whatever you say." He said chuckling and kissing the top of her head.

She leaned against him just for a second, but a few moments after she cleared her throat and got up. Damon gladly noticed that she was wearing one of his sweaters and smirked slightly. He grew confused again when he saw her wrapping her arms around herself and looking uncomfortable again. Was something wrong? Did he already screw up without even realizing it? Would have been it, Damon would have shooted himself. It was just not possible. He wasn't that bad, after all..

"Hey, is something wrong?" He asked softly.

"Um, no..why would it be?" She asked.

"I don't know, you're acting..weird?" He offered, making her see his confusion.

She seemed worried just for a moment. "Sorry if I'm giving you this impression..I guess I'm still a little tired. I don't even know why I got up so early." She said chuckling lightly, shaking her head.

Something was definitely wrong. She might not know it, but Damon knew her pretty well by now. He could see when she was hiding something or when she just wasn't herself. And now she was screaming anxiety to him.

Suddenly a realization took form. What if she had changed her mind? What if something happened or maybe she wasn't sure about them? He would lose it. He couldn't lose her. Not so soon, not ever.

"Did I do something wrong?" He then asked, almost in a whisper. Truthfully it was the first thing that came to his mind, and probably that was it.

Her eyes went wide for a second as she almost stared at him in shock. He knew that he was probably looking vulnerable and he hated when she saw that side of him so well. No one ever actually took out his vulnerable and fragile side, it only happened with his mother and now was happening with Elena.

She almost run to embrace him, taking him in her arms as he still sat on the armchair. He encircled her waist with his arms and kissed her shoulder.

"God no, Damon. You did nothing wrong don't you even think about it." She said softly as she kissed his hair.

How a little gesture from her could comfort him, wasn't even possible to describe. She calmed him down like nothing else.

He rested his head on her shoulder a little before looking at her in the eyes. "Then what is it, Elena? You know you can tell me everything. Please.." He offered gently.

She looked sad. She looked at him in the eyes with such a depth and he knew that it was something serious. He was growing always more anxious. Was she okay?

She sighed heavily, sitting on his lap. He then sat properly on the armchair and she snuggled up his side as his hands still encircled her waist. He gave her a soft smile and kiss on the lips to encorauge her. She was his baby girl, there was nothing that she couldn't tell him.

"I...your father came here before." She confessed, looking at him in the eyes. He grew stiff and his face unconsciously became harder.

"What did he say? Did he do something to you? Elena tell me." He said more urgently.

She shook her head lightly. "Don't worry, nothing serious happened. He just said some things.." She said looking away.

He gently took her chin to make her look at him in the eyes. "What? What things?"

His gaze was soft and comforting. Once again she had the prove that he was nothing like that man, and that Giuseppe should have been the one proud of having a son like Damon, not the other way around.

"He started saying stuff about you, things that I didn't like and that were not true so I stood up for you but he wouldn't listen. He started rambling about how you were just using me, that I was not worth of you and that I needed to back off. I swear Damon, I almost lost it. I can't stand that man.." She said almost furiously, biting her lip.

He was almost numb. Actually, he was raging. He was used to his father saying to him how worthless he was..it just didn't affect him anymore. But how he dare coming into his house and insulting his girlfriend? He didn't know the first thing about Elena, and yet his ignorance and prejudice always took the best of him making him appear for what he truly was. A man full of hatred and coldness.

He noticed that Elena's eyes were a little red and it only made him more furious. He wouldn't have let this go, Giuseppe wouldn't get away this time. He wrapped his arms tighter around Elena as hers did the same. She was the most precious thing in his life and he wouldn't let him father ruin even this.

"Don't you listen to him, love. He's bossy and arrogant..don't let this get you. You didn't believe him, did you?" He said as he softly cupped her head, tracing circles with his thumb on her cheek with his other hand.

She shook her head. "No of course not. I believe in you, Damon." She said firmly.

They looked at each other intensly before he pulled her in for a long passionate kiss. Their kiss was gentle and yet rough. Every so often he would hold her gaze and smile at her, silently telling her his love.

The kiss deepened and she was straddling on his lap in a matter of seconds. He let his mouth travel all over her neck, kissing and nibbling at it. He heard her moaning softly and he smirked.

"Damon.." She breathed.

She was making him painfully hard and he knew that they had to slow down, otherwise he wouldn't be able to hold back. He pulled away and chuckled when she whined.

"I'm just following your rules, my dear." He teased, kissing her on the forehead.

She pouted a little and he mimicked her pout, receiving a kick on the shoulder for it. She grew serious again then.

"You know, there's even something else.." She said smiling sadly. "I don't think that your father likes Jamie. I know that it's none of my business but Stefan shouldn't let him take over his life like that..the way your father talks about you two, and now even Jamie...he's not worth you. All of you."

Damon seemed thoughtful for a moment. "It's your business too, Elena. Jamie adores you and so do I, so it's only fair for you to say what you think. And I agree with you. Actually it's a very long time that my father and I don't have a relationship anymore…I just hope that Stefan will come around too eventually. I know how much my brother loves Jamie, but his priority should be him, and not pleasing our father." He said.

"I know." Elena said serious while petting his soft raven hair.

"Anyway you don't have to worry about him. I'll talk to him as soon as possible and I won't let him bother you again." He reassured, pulling her closer.

"What do you think if I bring you at the Grill today, for lunch? How are you feeling?" He asked after a few minutes.

"Are you kidding? I think it's a great idea. I'm going crazy here." She said chuckling.

He chuckled too as he kissed her. They were in their own world once again.

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><p>They didn't talk about Giuseppe anymore after the talk, and Elena was glad of it. Talking about him made Damon quite uncomfortable and nervous, and to be honest it did the same to her. They cuddled a little bit more on the couch, catching up some TV as Damon made her some hot chocolate. He was spoiling her and she loved it. He was an amazing person, and even though they hadn't been together for very long, Elena felt like they always did. That ever since she stepped into his house the connection was there. She couldn't wait to make him meet Jeremy, Jenna and Alaric. He was a man worth being proud of.<p>

After a few hours she got ready to go to the Grill. Finally she could live like a normal human being again, or at least it was a baby step. Damon had asked her if she could stay in his sweater because he loved it on her, but she refused saying that it was three times her size. He almost looked disappointed and she was amused by it, she found it quite adorable, so she promised him to wear it every time they were home.

They were finally into the Grill, which per usual at lunch wasn't very full. As she took his hand in hers and entwined their fingers, she felt him stiffening beside her. He seemed surprised and his fingers didn't react.

"Does it bother you?" She asked, not able to conver the hurt in her voice.

He looked at her smiling sweetly, kissing the tip of her nose. "Of course not, love. I'm just..not used to it." He said awkwardly.

He then put his arm around her shoulder and she entwined their fingers with his hand. Elena smirked smugly as she thought how women were envying her right now. She felt possessive and she loved it.

Ben, the usual waiter, looked at them almost in disbelief but then smiled at Damon. They slided into a booth as they greeted him.

"We're 'The Couple', babe." He said all cockily.

"Oh shut up." She said rolling her eyes, elbowing him.

She started giggling as he kissed and tickled the side of her neck with kisses. Their moment was inerrupted by Vicky Donovan, who was looking at them with a somehow amused expression. She was Matt's sister, and Elena didn't have a very good relationship with her since she despised the relationship that she had with Jeremy. She had been bad news for him. Pulling him away from her and their toxic relationship requiered to her and Jenna a very long time.

"Where did you leave Andie, Damon? Don't tell me you're with Lil Elena now." She said chuckling amused.

It was like a glass of ice water had been thrown over her face. First of all, she didn't want to hear about Andie. That _bitch_ called her a slut without even knowing her and she was quite unbereable. And much less if she had to be related with Damon. He was hers, now. And especially Vicky mocking her was the last thing she could stand. She really hadn't changed. If you're a moron you're a moron.

Before she could stand up for herself, her man did for her. "I have no idea of where Andie is. And yes, I'm with this amazing girl now. I'm planning on making it last for a very, very long time.." He said as he looked at Elena suggestively, "so why don't we go straight to the orders and you can spare your annoying chit-chat to someone else, Vic?" He said smiling sarcastically.

She huffed quietly as Damon pratically shushed her. They quickly got their orders and Vicky left annoyed.

"Thank you." She said quietly, snuggling a little more onto his side. She loved feeling his warmth, it made her feel safe.

"Anytime, baby girl." He said winking at her. "Plus I can't stand Vicky too, trust me." He said rolling his eyes.

"You know that she's Matt's sister?"

"Matt as in your ex?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yep." She nodded.

"Oh lord.." He said rolling his eyes and Elena chuckled.

Their food arrived a few minutes after, and they gladly noticed that it wasn't Vicky the waitress. They chatted a while as Damon told her about the council of the town and how they were pressuring him on being part of it. The Lockwood's came into the conversation and Elena rolled her eyes thinking about Tyler. Damon told her that almost everyone in that family was a whipped idiot, but he used to be friend with Tyler's uncle Mason before he moved to Florida.

"So when was the last time you saw Mason? He doesn't seem bad. I mean it must be something considering the family he comes from.." Elena said as she kept eating the chocolate cake that they shared.

Damon chuckled. "Yeah he's not the worst. We used to hang out a lot but then he moved to Florida. Last time I saw him it was probably six or five months ago..he comes in Mystic Falls from time to time." He shrugged.

"Cool. I'd like to meet him the next time..if you want to, of course." She said shyly.

"Of course Lena." He said taking her hand in his and playing with her fingers.

"Damon you're not helping me eating this cake! You promised you would have helped me." She pouted.

"Fine, fine.." He groaned as he held his fork.

Once they were out of the Grill they went for a walk, after a while though Elena's leg started hurting so they quickly got back into the car. Damon asked her if she was okay and she told him she was fine and that she just needed that damn medicine of hers once at home.

"I have to take Jamie at school. Do you want to come or you want me to drive you home?" He asked.

"No, no. It's okay. I'm coming with you." She said smiling.

After a few minutes of silence he spoke again. "So..in a few days there's the fair. You know that annoying thing that they do all the years. Well I was wondering if you would want to come. It would be our last night together with Jamie and I thought we could do something nice..always if you feel to."

A grin appeared on her face. Elena loved the fair that they organized every year. She always used to went with Caroline and Bonnie.

"Of course! I can't wait. When is it?"

"Thursday. I know that your leg is still hurting, but it will probably improve during these days. Of course if you then you don't feel to, we don't have to go." He reassured her.

She chuckled softly. He was so attentive and caring. "Okay."

They pulled into Jamie's school parking lot waiting for him to get out. After a few minutes he climbed in smiling.

"Hi Uncle Damon and hi Lena." He said. "You know that I took an A at my spelling test?" He said all proudly.

"Jam! This is so good. Tonight we'll tell your dad when he calls you." Elena said smiling.

"Okay! Then can we tell him that you are Uncle Damon's girlfriend now?" He asked.

Damon and Elena shared a knowing look. Telling Stefan and Caroline would be another step, that they had agreed on telling them in person.

"Mmh..I don't think that's a good idea. We want to make them a surprise, you know?" Damon said.

Jamie seemed thoughtful. "Yes you're right. You will tell them when they get back. You are even cuter than daddy and Caroline I think that I will definitely tell them that!" He said grinning.

They both chuckled. "That you better not tell them, Jam." Elena laughed.

They day passed pretty quickly when they got home. Jamie made his homework and harassed both Damon and Elena all afternoon because he couldn't understand math. Luckily Damon managed to explain it and he calmed down as they were all going crazy for this freaking math problem. Obviously Damon cooked dinner and Elena found herself filling her stomach again. He was just that good. He was cocky about it and she couldn't blame him.

Right after dinner they watched a movie after they settled the kitchen. Jamie decided to watch _Twilight_ because one of the girls at his school told him to watch it, and since he liked her, he wanted to do it so he could talk about it with her. Elena wasn't exactly a _Twilight_ lover either, but seeing Damon falling asleep on her chest right after ten minutes the beginning of the movie was priceless. She ended up paying more attention to him than at the movie. She traced his flawless lines softly, caressing his soft black hair and kissing his face. He was so adorable while he was sleeping. She noticed that he had let his hair grow a little longer and she found herself loving it even more. The movie finally ended and Jamie said that it had disappointed him, therefore he didn't like that girl anymore because she had such bad tastes. Elena chuckled softly and brought him upstairs, she settled him into bed and she left him there about to call Stefan.

She returned downstairs and noticed that Damon was still sleeping on the couch. She smiled and kneeled in front of him. She gently kissed him all over and he mumbled incoherent words. She started shaking him a little.

"Damon.." She whispered, chuckling a little.

"Mmmmh…" He mumbled pushing his face into the pillow of the couch.

"Come on big boy let's get you to bed." Elena chuckled.

"Fine but just if you sleep with me." He said as his face emerged from the pillow.

He seemed so young and innocent in that moment, almost childish. He reminded her of Jamie.

"Damon, I don't know.."

"Oh come on Lena. Just sleeping. You did it yesterday." He pouted.

"Fine." She said rolling her eyes.

* * *

><p>Even though she resisted a little at the beginning, Damon could see that Elena actually loved the idea of sleeping with him again. He had slept like he hadn't in ages when he slept with her beside him and he was craving it.<p>

He put a pair of flat pants on and a t-shirt, and Elena told him that he was crazy sleeping with short sleeves. He chuckled and told her that he always slept with short sleeves. Elena on the other hand put her cute and damn sexy pajama on, and even putting his sweater on saying that it was cold. She was _so_ damn hot in it.

He checked his phone and got a text from Stefan saying that he talked with Jamie and everything was okay, and then he found two missed calls from Giuseppe. Damon rolled his eyes and put it back on the nightstand.

He quickly got into bed, immediatly taking his beautiful girl into his arms. She purred contently as he scooped her in his arms.

"Mmh..I could get used to it, you know." She said closing her eyes against his chest.

"Well, you better to.." He whispered into her ear.

Her eyes snapped open as he started kissing her face softly, making her shudder. A moan escaped her mouth as he settled himself on top of her, kissing and nibbling at her neck. As Damon kept kissing her neck and eventually going down on her stomach she couldn't seem to stop it herself. He slid a hand under the sweater and cupped one of her breasts through her tank top. It was perfect. Her breasts were soft and perfectly sized. As he pinched her hard nipple a loud moan escaped her mouth. She was making him harder every second that passed.

"Damon…" She whispered arching her back a little as he kept teasing her through the material.

Just when he was about to kiss the bare skin of her stomach, the door suddenly burst open. Elena gasped and quickly shook Damon off her as Jamie came in. He was rubbing his eyes tiredly but he seemed upset.

"Hey, is everything alright?" Elena asked concerned.

"I had a nightmare..it's been a while since I last had one but this one was really bad. Can I sleep with you tonight?" He asked with his tiny tired voice.

"Oh sure, sweetie. Come here." Elena said as she patted the space between her and Damon.

She saw Damon groaning and complaining quietly at the beginnig but he then softened as Jamie rolled between them.

"Now sleep, okay?" Elena asked petting his head.

He nodded and fell asleep right after. She looked over at Damon and smiled at him. He was so beautiful. She entwined their hands over Jamie's little body as they whispered their goodnight's.

Damon woke up as he felt a noise. A buzzing noise or something. He saw Elena and Jamie sleeping quietly, then glanced at the clock in the nighstand. It signaled 3am and then he saw that it was his phone that was ringing. And who could it be at this hour of the night? He frowned as he saw the ID. Stefan.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Hellooo guys! So sorry I couldn't update last week, but school is being very annoying.. :( **

**Anyways I want to thank you all for all your favorites, alerts and especially reviews. Keep them coming, I really _really_ love reviews haha :) Love you guys! Hope you'll enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

><p>"Stef?" Damon replied sounding alarmed.<p>

After all it was 3am. Even though Stefan was in Europe he had just talked to Jamie a few hours ago, he knew it was night in Mystic Falls.

"Hey, it's me..I just wanted to inform you that I'm no longer coming back on Saturday. Father left a couple of days ago and he wants me to stay until next Sunday. Can you believe that?" Stefan said, chuckling without humor in the end.

He had to be insane, Damon thought. He almost had an heart attack by getting a call from him at 3am, and this was what he wanted to tell him? Not to mention that the only thought of his father pissed him off even more. He and Giuseppe had to have a chat as soon as he woke up…in the morning.

Damon sighed heavily. "Stefan, you do realize that here is deep night, right? You really called me at 3am to tell me this? Oh why thank you, a text or a call in the morning just weren't the same uh." He spat sarcastically.

Now it was Stefan's turn to sigh. "Sorry. Being in Europe…I didn't realize it was that late. But come on, like you aren't used to stay up all night doing god only knows what..don't be so fussy Damon." He said in a mocking tone, and Damon could pratically see him rolling his eyes.

"Well maybe things have changed…" Damon whispered, looking lovingly at Elena.

"About that…" Stefan started in a hesitant tone, but definitely more serious than before. "What the hell are you doing, Damon? Father in one of his many rants of the day mentioned that you're with some girl and he's furious about it because according to him she's 'worthless' or whatever." He sighed heavily. "I don't understand..why is he so upset about it? He pratically yelled at me, almost as if it was my fault! Damon can't you just leave this girl alone, please? Do it for me. There are lots of other girls out there." Stefan huffed.

Damon listened to his brother in utter shock. His father did _what_? And especially, how he dared calling Elena worthless? Thank god that he didn't tell Stefan her name, otherwise he knew that his brother would have freaked out. It was the only thing that annoyed him about Stefan coming back; telling him about him and Elena, and hearing Stefan all pissed telling him how much he would have screwed up.

"No." Damon said firmly. "I really like this one…I know you would agree." He said smirking slightly.

After a few moments of silence, Stefan pratically snorted. "Is it Andie? Because if it's Andie, my brother...you really don't know what you're talking about anymore." He said chuckling.

Damon rolled his eyes. Right..he now remembered how Stefan despised his flings, especially Andie. He thought that she was shallow and annoying. Which indeed...

"God no it's not Andie, Stefan." Damon said annoyed, rolling his eyes.

"Mmh. Good." Stefan replied, sounding thoughtful.

"Well, if you don't mind, I would really like to get back to bed. Conversations at 3am are not my best." He spat sarcastically.

"Wait…" Stefan said quietly. "I, uhm, yeah father was one of the reasons why I called. He seemed upset and I wanted to talk to you. Again I apologize for the hour but I really didn't remember…" He was saying, when Damon cut him off.

"Cut it, Stef." He said annoyed at his brother's rambling.

"I..we..uhm, we need to see Dr. Hunt when I get back, Damon." He said serious. "The chances that we have…" He was saying but Damon cut him off again.

"No. _Stop_, Stefan. It's bullshit, okay? We've never had problems before and I don't see why we should worry so much when nothing happened." He said through clentched teeth.

"Damon but Fath-…"

"Father is father. We're not him. Goodnight, Stefan." He said firmly, hanging up on him.

With that, Stefan completely ruined his sleep. He didn't want to talk about _that_. Not now, and hopefully not ever. He glanced over Elena and saw that she was still sleeping with Jamie curled around her. He smiled softly at the sight. Elena would make such a great mom, one day.

He went downstairs, going into the kitchen filling a glass of water. Liked it or not, he had to have a chat with his father and clear things up with him once for all. Damon no longer saw Giuseppe as his father for a very long time, but still that man was a part of his life and he had to deal with the consequences of it. Giuseppe was absent during mostly all Damon and Stefan's lives, so much that Damon was always the one taking care of Stefan. For that his father was his biggest shame. He was cold and manipulative, and what Damon feared the most was following his steps, even if unconsciously.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Elena entering the kitchen with an expression mixed in confusion and tiredness. She was embracing herself in a tiny blanket, clearly affected by the cold weather.

"Hey, is everything alright?" She asked weakly.

"Sure." He said giving her a little smile. "I was just..thirsty." He said tensly, looking everywhere but her.

She didn't say anything as she walked closer to him, giving him an adorable tired smile.

"Liar." She croaked, still smiling.

He smiled genuinely too, pulling her into his warm embrace. She snuggled into his chest and purred lightly. He loved having Elena in his arms. She was warm, and smooth..and god he loved the smell of her shampoo. She wrapped her tiny arms around his waist, kissing his chest.

"Care to tell me what's wrong? Always if you want to." She reassured him.

"I, uh..Stefan called a few minutes ago." He said.

Elena immediatly looked up at him, fear in her eyes. "Oh my god. Is everything okay?" She asked worried.

"Yeah, he's fine. It's not that…it's about my fahter." He huffed frustrated. "It's always about him." Damon said, shaking his head in frustration. "Well Stefan has always been his favorite, even though you can't call him a real fahter. He hasn't been a father to either of us. So when he has some problems, things that upset him, especially about me and my being a so-called failure as a son for him…"

"Oh, Damon. Don't give weight to his words. He's not worth it, baby." Elena said passing her hand through his hair.

He smiled weakly. "I know that, 'Lena. I've been dealing with my father my whole life. What I was saying is that he always tries to take Stefan on his side, and when he can't, he despises him too and on some levels Stefan is much weaker than me." Damon sighed as he seemed thoughtful.

"So yeah, I've got this call from him telling me that he won't be back until next Sunday, and that father called him, apparently furious about my new…girlfriend." He admitted.

Truth be told there was even another reason for Stefan's call, apparently, but he didn't want to pull Elena into this.

He could see that Elena's face fell a little, but she quickly tried to recompose herself.

"So Stefan know we're together?" She asked raising her eyebrows.

"No, not yet. We're gonna tell him and Blondie together...right?" He said, smirking sligthly.

She mimicked his smirk, kissing him tenderly on the lips. She then looked into his ocean blue eyes with her doe ones.

"You sure there's nothing else? Damon I don't want to force you into telling me everything, if you don't feel comfortable I'm totally fine, but you have to know that I'm always here for you and that you can tell me anything. Okay?" She asked firmly.

It pained him to lie to her, but for now, he had to. She couldn't afford this, and he hoped she never would have to.

"There's nothing else. Let's go back to bed, baby girl." He said smiling sweetly, kissing her nose which made her giggle.

They led upstairs and luckily Jamie was still sleeping quietly. Damon thought that Elena was going to lay near Jamie, but when he laid down on his side she was still there glaring at him.

"A little room, please?" She asked, raising her eyebrows teasingly.

"Of course." He said huskily, smirking smugly.

"Thank you, sexy." She said kissing his chest and snuggling onto it.

He wrapped his arms around her as she pratically fell asleep on top of him. He kissed the top of her head and quickly fell asleep too. All the anxiety that he was feeling completely vanished once his girl was in his arms.

"Mmmh…I love you Damon." Elena purred quietly in her sleep.

When he woke up, it was 9am. Damon's eyes widened a little as he thought about Jamie. Crap! He had to go to school…to hell, he thought. In two months he had never lost school besides two days. It was fine. Both Jamie and Elena needed some deserved rest, especially his beautiful girl, who was after all still in pain because of her injuries.

Damon though got up even if he would have loved to sleep all day with Elena in his arms. He had to talk with Giuseppe and he had to do it now.

He quietly got up, pulling the blanket up Jamie and Elena's body carefully. Elena moved a little in her sleep as in searching for him and he smiled contently. He had even dreamed about her telling him she loved him last night…

Damon arrived at his father's office forty minutes later. Luckily, the building which was also his father's major office, was a little out of Mystic Falls. He got out of the car and slammed its door, feeling nervous for the first time in a very long time. He hadn't seen his father in six months and the man always managed to make him feel stressed.

Everyone in the building knew who he was, so when he came in all the people were looking at him with surprise in their faces. Damon smirked slightly. If his father left him no choice, he would have gladly made a show in front of everyone, he simply didn't care. He took the elevator that brought him to the last floor, which was reserved only to his father and other few employees. While making his way to Giuseppe's office, ne noticed the few secretaries eyeing him flirtariously. He had probably slept with some of them, he didn't even remember to be honest..all he knew was that their looks didn't affect him, so much that one of them almost seemed offended at his indifference.

He opened the door of the office without even knocking, leaving Giuseppe looking up at him with a mix of surprise and anger.

"Damon..what a lovely surprise." Giuseppe said calmly, letting the pen he was holding on the desk.

"Hello, father." He replied sarcastically.

"It's been a long time.." Giuseppe made him notice.

"Indeed." Damon said sighing while toying with one of the objects on the desk.

He quickly took notice of all the things on his desk, eyeing the pictures in particular. There was Giuseppe, Giuseppe with Stefan, he and Stefan as kids…and then _her_. Damon's jaw clentched immediatly.

"Why there's not even one goddam picture of mom?" Damon asked abruptly, not even making eye contact while trying to calm down.

Giuseppe stayed quiet for a few seconds, not knowing what to say as he sighed heavily. "I see no point." He said cooly. "She's dead, Damon." He then pointed out as if it wasn't something that he didn't know already.

Damon shaked his head in disbelief. It was unbelievable. The passion in hating his father never ceased to amaze him.

"So let me get this straight," Damon said while pacing around the room, "the woman you've been married to twenty years, the _mother_ of your children, doesn't get to have a picture on your desk..but the gold digger slut you've married since what, five years, can? Oh wow Giuseppe, I think you way overestimate your so-called intelligency." He then said chuckling humorless.

Giuseppe suddenly got up from his chair, anger in his face. "Watch out your words, Damon." He demanded raising his voice.

The fake smile that was on Damon's face immediatly disappeared, replaced by his glacial cold stare. He went near his father and gave him a deadly glare.

"And you watch out yours, old man." He spat. "Don't you _dare_ come near Elena ever again. You leave her alone. She doesn't deserve your malice. If you have a problem, you tell me, you don't get to put her into this. She's the only good thing that has happened to me in years, and if you think that I'm gonna lose her because of you then you better reconsider it." He said firmly.

"Oh come on now Damon. We all know how this is going to end up. You're going to get tired of her eventually, and all this 'epic speech' you just gave me will be forgotten." Giuseppe said annoyed. "I get it, son. I've ignored you and you're seeking attention. There you have it." He said with a devilish smile.

Damon grew mad at his comment. He had to thank that he would have gone to jail, otherwise he would have gladly punched him all day long.

"I couldn't care less about you and your freaking attention. You could rot in hell for all I care." He said, "I just want you to leave Elena. _Alone_." He then said slowly, getting closer to his father.

Giuseppe smirked, all of a sudden seeming amused. "Well I have to admit that she's quite something indeed, son. Those legs…" He said sighing seeming thoughtful, the only purpose pissing Damon off.

He lost it. "You son of a bitch!" Damon said while making it to hit him.

"Oh relax, Damon. Your little thing doesn't interest me." Giuseppe said abruptly. "I just don't think a nanny fits you. After all, you're still a Salvatore. You could be great. You're handsome, rich, tough..don't waste your time on that distraction of yours. You have plenty of worthy women ready to warm your bed." He said. "That is all. Now if you want to excuse me, I have to get back to work." He then said going back at writing.

"You know nothing about Elena." Damon said standing near the door, this time more calmly. "She's one hell of a woman." He said quietly, making eye contatc with his father one last time before heading out for good.

* * *

><p>Elena woke up finding the bed empty besides Jamie sleeping peacefully. She giggled as she saw him drooling all over one of Damon's pillows, knowing that Damon would be so annoyed. Luckily the housekeeper was going to come today. She then glanced at the clock and her eyes widened. It signaled 10am. How much did she sleep? And didn't Jamie have to go to school? In that moment she thanked that she was taking classes on the website of the university, and that she wasn't taking actual classes, because she would have failed completely. A few weeks after coming into the Boarding House working as a nanny, she realized that for the moment she had to slow down a little with her studies because she couldn't make it.<p>

She left Jamie sleeping, mentally taking notice to wake him up in half an hour. She went to the bathroom and after getting ready she headed downstairs. She thought that Damon was going to be there but he wasn't. After thinking for a few moments she realized that he was probably talking to his father. Elena could only hope for the best. She knew that things between him and his father were complicated and angsty, and she didn't want to cause any more problems, but hell if that man deserved them.

While waiting for Damon she fixed the living room and the kitchen a little before the housekeeper was going to arrive, since in the last days they had been messed up quite a lot. It was still very cold and on her shirt she put Damon's sweater on, knowing that he would appreciate it.

A few minutes later Jamie came down, rubbing his eyes.

"What time is it 'Lena?" He asked sleepily.

"A little after 10am." Elena said smiling.

Jamie's eyes widened, seeming anxious. "Oh no! I have to go to school! We're so late!" He said.

"You don't have to go today Jam, relax." She explained.

Jamie was quite the anxious kid. It was like you had to deal with a mini Stefan.

"Oh..okay. But why?" He asked. Luckily he seemed a little more relaxed.

Why? Elena wondered herself. She had to ask Damon later, but she was pretty sure it was about the meeting with his father.

"Uncle Damon couldn't, uhm..bring you. But don't worry you always went, one day won't hurt anyone." Elena said quietly.

"Okay." He said shrugging. "Can you make me breakfast, pretty please?"

"Sure. Come in the kitchen." She replied standing up from the couch.

"What do you want?" Elena asked once in the kitchen.

"Scrambled eggs." He replied.

"Okay." Elena said while taking the eggs from the fridge. "Wow, you've made a lot of drawings Jam. There are plenty on the fridge." She said entusiastically.

"Yay and I'm working on others too. I love drawing 'Lena." He said grinning.

"I know, and you're very good at it Jam. You should meet my brother Jeremy. He's quite the artist too." Elena said fondly.

They chatted for a while as Jamie ate his eggs, telling Elena the trip that he made with Stefan and Damon in Italy, saying that it had been the best trip of his life. Elena was surprised. Knowing the loner that Damon was, he really must love Italy to go there for two whole weeks with Jamie and Stefan. She wondered if he would ever bring her…

Elena was so invested in her talk with Jamie that she didn't even hear Damon walking in. He seemed tense but he seemed to cover it pretty well. Little did he know that Elena knew better.

"Hey Uncle D! I was telling 'Lena about our trip to Italy. Do you remember it?"

"Of course I remember it kiddo. We had so much fun..and we even made Stefan actually laugh a couple of times." Damon said chuckling ruffing Jamie's hair, as he laughed too.

Elena kept eyeing Damon all the time, seeming worried. Maybe the meeting with his father had been bad, they fought..or what if his father convinced him that she wasn't the right girl for him? Elena grew pretty worried at the thought. Jamie made his way upstairs after a while, leaving Damon and Elena alone in the living room.

"Is everything okay?" Elena asked a little hesitant, placing her hand on his arm while sitting next to him on the couch. "And don't you think it's a little early for that?" She then said, pointing at the bourbon he was holding.

He scoffed as he drank the drink in one gulp. "Probably." He said while looking away.

Elena didn't know what to do. She didn't want to push him, but at the same time she was dying to know what happened when he confronted his father. It was even about her after all. She knew though that he was upset, so she wanted to give him his time.

She kissed his cheek, softly caressing his raven hair. "It's okay Damon. We'll talk when you feel to." She said getting up and heading upstairs.

As she entered her room and opted for a shower, her phone started ringing.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Elena!" Jenna squealed from the other line.

"Oh hey, Jenna! Is everything alright?" Elena asked as she sat on her bed.

"All good. And you, honey?" She asked softly.

"I feel better. Way better. And Damon is taking care of me..." She said a little smugly.

"Oh, I can only imagine how he is taking care of you." Her aunt teased.

"Jenna!" Elena said, blushing deeply. "You're so dirty minded." She said chuckling.

"Yep." Jenna replied laughing. "Listen, always if you feel to, I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight. Ric and I would really love it. It's just a little party to inaugurate the house, you know? You can bring Damon of course." She said.

"Yes Jenna of course. I'm so curious about this house. But there's a little problem..Damon's nephew, you know Stefan's son, he's always with us. We really wouldn't know where to leave him." Elena said sighing.

Jenna seemed thoughtful for a few seconds. "That's no problem. I'm sure he's a good kid, and besides a couple of friends of mine will bring their child too." She said.

"That's great, thank you Jenna. How many people are coming?" Elena asked.

"Not so many. As I said it's just a little party. There are Jeremy and his girlfriend Anna, this couple that I told you about, and another friend of mine. She's really cool." Jenna said.

"Oh, okay. See you tonight then? At what hour?" Elena asked as she opened the water of the shower.

"8pm. On time." She said trying to sound firm.

"Yep Jenna, don't worry. I'm not the latecomer in the family!" Elena teased and hung up.

She then tied her hair and stepped into the shower, letting the water relax her muscles. After a few minutes though she heard Damon's voice calling her.

"I'm in the shower! WAIT THERE!" She tried to shout but the noise of the shower covered it.

In fact, a moment later Damon came in. Oh god! She blushed and cursed the glass of the shower for being so trasparent.

"Wah! GEE! Get out Damon, NOW! Shush!" She squealed covering herself as he checked her out with his jaw droppen.

As Damon came to his senses, he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"It's not like I haven't seen a woman's naked body before, Elena." He said rolling his eyes while facing another part of the bathroom.

"Well but not mine!" Elena said angrily, turning off the water.

"Besides, you're my girlfriend.." He said smirking smugly. Holy fuck, Elena was sex on a stick and she didn't even realize it.

Elena melted a little at his words. True, she was his girlfriend and she still couldn't believe it, but they still hadn't crossed that line and she was quite uncomfortable.

"Uhm, yeah, okay. What do you want?" She asked impatiently.

"Talk?" He said as if it was obvious.

"Uh, of course..just not when I'm naked in the shower, please? Why don't you just wait outside?" She said tyring to sound calm.

Damon chuckled lightly as he stepped out. She was so shy.

Elena sighed heavily as she wrapped a towel around herself. She loosened her hair and stepped out. As she came into the room Damon's eyes widened.

"Put some clothes on, woman. That's pure tease. Now you're the one making me feel uncomfortable." He said while eyeing her long bare legs.

She smirked smugly. "Fine." She said taking some clothes from her wardrobe, obviously taking her time with it..

"So?" She asked in front of him as she came into the room fully dressed.

He gave her a hesitant smile, then pulling her onto his lap kissing the side of her head.

"I'm sorry if I seemed a little off before..but after talking with my father I always have that kind of reaction. He's frustrating." He said annoyed.

"It's okay Damon, really. I understand you and you don't owe me any explanation. But is everything okay between…us?" She asked biting her bottom lip.

He seemed genuinely confused. "Of course babe, why are you even asking?" He asked while looking at her a little worried himself.

"I don't know, maybe after talking with your father you changed your mind or something." She said shrugging lightly.

"It would never happen Elena. Please don't ever think something like that ever again." He said firmly, taking her chin in his hand. "Promise me." He demanded.

"I promise you." She said smiling softy, kissing his lips.

"Good." He said against her lips smiling a little, deepening the kiss.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as they kissed passionately, his tongue demanding dominance. He pulled her head to him as they kept kissing. Elena let out a moan when he laid her down, crushing his body onto hers. He let his hand fall down her legs, teasing between her thighs. She gasped loudly as he touched her flesh through the material and he smirked. He could feel how ready she was for him even through her jeans.

And then…they were being cockblocked by Jamie. Again.

"Ewwww. This is gross Uncle D! You're really really worse than daddy and Caroline!" He said disgusted.

Damon groaned. He loved his nephew, a lot. But not when he was being the cockblocker. He saw Elena blushing deeply, probably wondering if he was going to tell all these things to Stefan once he was back.

"Whatcha need, Jam?" Damon asked trying not to sound annoyed.

He rolled his eyes when Elena punched him in the arm.

"I was wondering if we were going at the fair this year? My friend Lucas is going. I want to go too..please Uncle D!" He said expectanctly.

"Sure. I actually proposed it to Elena already, I know you two would have so much fun. It's in two days." Damon said smiling.

"Great!" Jamie said grinning, clapping his little tiny hands together.

"I was actually about to ask you if tonight you wanted to go with me somehwere?" Elena then said.

"Where?" Damon asked, raising his eyebrows in confusion.

"My uncle and her fiancé are inaugurating their new house tonight, and they're throwing a little party. So she invited me, and you and Jamie of course." She said.

"I would love to." Damon said grinning.

She pecked his cheek as she smiled. "Do you want to go Jam?" She then asked, hoping he would say yes.

"Yes of course 'Lena. Tell me when I have to get ready okay." He said smiling, and with that he ran out of the room.

"Mmh..can we continue from where we were left?" Damon asked wiggling his eyebrows.

"Nope." Elena replied popping the 'p' and tapping his nose as he pouted.

She giggled and got out of the room.

* * *

><p>Hours passed quickly as they ate and then went for a little shopping after lunch. Elena decided to buy something for Jenna and Alaric's house. She bought Jenna one of those modern lamps that she loved so much. She even hoped to finally meet Jeremy's new girlfriend tonight, and to him and Jamie to get along since they seemed to share a passion.<p>

They got back home just to change quickly. Elena put jeans on, and a black shirt that showed a little of her cleavage. Damon seemed annoyed at the beginning, considering it too 'inappropriate'. Elena chuckled at his jealousy. She told him that she just loved that shirt, and that they were not going to a club or something. It was just her aunt's house. Besides it wasn't that scandalous..he just wasn't used to that version of her.

She decided to put some more make-up than usual on, leaving her long chesnut hair loosened. She even wore a pair of heels.

While she waited for him to get ready in his room Damon kept telling her how beautiful she looked and she nervously blushed every time. Her jaw dropped when he took his shirt off to change into another one.

"Like what you see?" He asked cockily.

Elena nodded numbly as her mind kept going into other kind of fantasies.

He always looked gorgeous, but tonight he seemed to be even more. Per usual he was wearing all black, and as he put his leather jacket on he was just perfect. He was so breath-takingly beautiful that Elena had problems at keeping her eyes off him.

"Are you ready Jam?" Elena said while knocking softly on his door.

"One minute!" He shouted from inside.

Damon wrapped his arms around Elena from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"My aunt is gonna love you, you'll see. I think you could get along with Ric pretty well too." Elena said kissing his nose.

"I wouldn't know about that. I'm not exactly what a parental figure would like. I'm the _bad boy._" He said.

"Well you don't have to worry about Jenna though. She's a seventeen years old inside on some levels." Elena said chuckling.

He kept kissing and nibbling at her neck all the time while waiting for Jamie and Elena shuddered. He was making her so hot.

Luckily after two minutes Jamie was out of the door, otherwise Elena's knees would have dropped in a matter of time.

She made sure to pick the gift for Jenna and they quickly headed out.

Jamie seemed to be excited about the whole thing, he especially wanted to meet Jeremy to talk about drawings and stuff with him. Elena found cute how Jamie dressed up a little elegant. He was such a little gentleman.

They all kept talking and laughing for the whole drive. As they arrived, Elena took in the outside of Jenna's house. It seemed to be quite bigger than their previous one, and the yard was larger too.

While parking in the driveway, she saw Damon eyeing a car a little strangely but decided to let it go.

She rang at the doorbell and not even ten seconds later a grinning Jenna opened the door throwing herself at her.

"Elena! I'm so glad you came! You don't know how happy it makes me." She said excitedly.

"I couldn't miss it Jenna, you two were planning about moving into this house for months now. Here..this is for you." She said handing her the gift.

Jenna gasped. "Oh Elena..you didn't have to, really." She said but she seemed genuinely happy.

"Shut up, I know you'll love it." She said winking at her.

She turned around to see Damon and Jamie approaching them. One of Jamie's drawings fell into the car and he 'absolutely had to have it tonight'. So Damon told her to go first meanwhile.

When she turned around to Jenna though she couldn't believe what she was seeing. _Who_ she was seeing. What in the actual fuck? Elena really hoped it was some sort of weird allucination, but as she blinked two times she was still there. Andie.

"Oh sorry, this is my friend Andie, Elena. You sure saw her on TV anyways. She's a journalist." Jenna said proudly.

Oh sure I saw her. The _bitch_, Elena thought. It was going to be such a long wonderful night...


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I managed to upload another chappie in a week. Wow..haha. I felt inspired, and since last week I didn't update, I'm making up for it lol ;)**

**I really hope you're going to like the chapter, and please leave me your amazing reviews as always :) I really love all of your thoughts guys. **

**For those of you who asked me questions in the last reviews: sorry I haven't replied yet! I promise I'll reply tomorrow, since it's pretty late here.. :)**

**Thank you for reading!**

* * *

><p>"Did you find it, Jam?" Damon asked impatiently as he held the door of the car.<p>

He was about to meet Elena's family and he didn't want to screw anything up. He turned around and could see Elena laughing with her aunt.

"Yes..I can see it. Just one sec Uncle D." Jamie replied as he was kneeled inside the car, searching for his drawing under one of the seats.

Jamie was so excited about meeting Elena's brother since she had told him that he was an artist too.

"Got it!" He said excitedly holding up the paper.

Damon rolled his eyes amused. "Okay kiddo, now let's go."

As he approached the house Damon felt anxious all over again. This whole thing was new for him, and he wasn't feeling this anxious not even when he had to pick up his prom's date in highschool.

But it was all worth it. Elena was worth it. He would make sure to never let her down, starting from making a good impression on her family tonight.

As they got closer to the house he could see that Elena was no longer smiling and laughing like before. Jenna was holding the gift in her hands, while Elena was stiff looking at something...someone?

He couldn't believe what he heard Jenna saying a moment later. _Fuck_.

"Oh sorry, this is my friend Andie, Elena. You sure saw her on TV anyways. She's a journalist." Jenna said.

Damon rolled his eyes, and this time not amused. So he was right…the car really did belong to Andie.

He had just hoped of not screwing anything up and now it was probably already screwed.

He slowly approached them with Jamie by his side, and as soon as he was in sight Andie's fake smile fell. He gave her a quick hard look as in telling her to behave, since she and Elena had already had issues in the past. And Damon knew from experience that Andie could really be a hyena.

He then looked down at Elena and gave her an understanding tight smile, but she still seemed stiff and uncomofortable. Great…

"Oh, Damon. Hi!" Jenna said grinning, pulling him into a hug. "I'm so glad that I'm finally meeting you under other circumstances…" She then said quietly, referring to that night at the hospital.

"And this is my friend Andie." She said gesturing towards Andie.

"Yeah..we know each other." Damon said quickly.

"Well, that's great." Jenna said smiling while gesturing to them to come inside.

"Yes, we used to go out together. Right Damon?" Andie said lowly.

_More like we used to fuck_, he thought. He just shook his head as Jenna suddenly got it. Her smile immediatly became uncomfortable as she saw Elena being pretty annoyed with the whole situation.

"Uhm..well, really never saw that coming!" Jenna said laughing awkwardly. "And you must be Jamie? Hi, I'm Jenna." She said lowering a little to shake Jamie's tiny hand.

"Nice to meet you miss." Jamie said shaking her hand firmly.

Jenna laughed affectionately. "No miss. I'm Jenna." She winked.

"Jamie why don't you give me your jacket so we can leave it here?" Damon asked as Jamie started walking towards the kitchen with Jenna.

Jamie handed him his jacket and then disappeared into the other room with Jenna, followed by Andie who threw a malicious look at Damon and Elena.

Damon could see that Elena was still annoyed, but they had hours to go before the dinner was going to end and he didn't want this accident to ruin the night.

"Your jacket, princess?" He asked smiling.

Elena huffed as she took off her jacket abruptly.

"Here." She said harshly as she threw it in his hands.

As she was walking into the other room, Damon took her arm.

"Elena, it's not my fault she's here. Trust me I want her here less than you do but how was I supposed to know that she and Jenna were friends?" He said a little annoyed himself.

She looked at him and her gaze softened a little. "I know..I know it's not your fault. But that woman is a nightmare." She said as she stepped out of his grip.

He sighed as he watched her joining the others. Indeed Andie had treated her like crap when she first met her, so he could understand where Elena was coming from, but he didn't want Andie of all people to be an obstacle to their relationship or make _his_ Elena feel inappropriate or uncomfortable.

"Where's Ric?" Elena asked as she stepped into the kitchen.

"He's taking pizza's and stuff. You know how we both suck at cooking 'Lena." Jenna said chuckling.

"I'm well aware of that." Elena said, her eyes widening a little at the thought of Jenna cooking.

She well remembered of the time when she and Jeremy had a food poisoning due to Jenna's cooking skills. She had made them toasts with expired mayonnaise and it had been one crappie week after that.

She then spotted Andie at the corner of the kitchen with a glass of red wine in her hands, looking at her for the whole time with an amused annoying look. What the fuck are you looking at, Elena wanted to ask. That bitch. She remembered how she called her a slut and almost slapped her when she first came at the Boarding House. How Damon could have been with such a nut was still a mystery for Elena…she honestly expected better from him. She didn't want to imagine him with any other woman, but Andie was such a let down.

She wasn't even a beautiful woman, Elena decided. Sure she was all perfectly dressed up in her 12 cm heels, her cigarette skirt and her tight shirt, but that was it. She had perfect curls and too much make-up. She was completely and utterly fake. Her and her boney ass.

Calm down, Elena thought. Calm down.

"Jeremy and his girlfriend? Are they coming?" She then asked.

"Yep, they should be here in a few minutes."

"Jeremy is your little brother right?" She then heard Andie asking in her sing-songing voice, faking an angelic smile.

You don't even get to talk to me she wanted to tell her.

"Yes. He's three years younger than me." Elena said quickly.

Just then Damon came in and Elena sighed in relief. In every kind of situation he always managed to calm her down, even if it was just one look or being at her side.

He smiled softly at her and she returned his smile as he put an arm around her waist.

"Relax." He whispered in her ear, caressing her hip soothingly.

"I'm trying to." She whispered back smiling tightly.

As they waited for Alaric, Jenna showed them the house included the backyard. It was very comfy and nice, it sure was a little bigger than the other one but Elena knew that no house could compare to the one where she and Jeremy had their best memories of their parents. Not even one like the Boarding House.

Jamie seemed a little tense and both Elena and Damon seemed to notice it.

"Jam is everything alright?" Elena asked once they were alone.

He huffed a little. "Why is that woman here? I remember her 'Lena. She's the crazy woman who came at the Boarding House that night. The one who yelled at you! She's mean!" Jamie said seeming worried.

He was so cute. There he was being all worried about Andie. It kinda made her amused how he saw Andie as the bad guy of the situation.

"Hey what's up here?" Damon asked as he saw Jamie and Elena talking.

"Jamie was telling me how much he likes Andie." Elena said sarcastically.

Damon chuckled as he kissed her on the cheek. "As much as you like her, I imagine."

"Ew never Uncle D! She's mean and ugly. She reminds me of Maleficient from Sleeping Beauty." Jamie said. "I think one of these days I'm going to make a draw about her."

Elena couldn't help but burst into laughing. Jamie was _so_ right.

"Jeez, you two..." Damon said shaking his head amused.

Speaking of the devil, Andie was just coming towards them.

"Jenna wants you." She quickly said to Elena.

"And what for?"

"I don't know, ask her." She replied shrugging, seeming irritated.

Elena held her gaze harshly for some moments, then taking Jamie's hand going to reach Jenna.

"Bye bye Angie." Jamie said.

"It's Andie, little kid." She said smiling annoyed.

For the first time since she knew him, Jamie actually did something that could be called 'rude'. He stuck his tongue out at Andie and she gasped in surprise. Elena chuckled smugly as she and Jamie walked into the other room.

Damon was about to join them when Andie took his arm lightly.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" She asked sweetly, batting her eye lashes at him.

"About what?" He asked suspiciously pulling his arm out of her grip.

"Just one minute…please?" She was pratically begging.

Damon huffed in frustration as Andie dragged him into a bedroom, Jenna and her fiance's he supposed. He started pacing around the room.

"So?" He asked impatiently.

"I miss you." She blurted out.

"What?" He pratically spat.

"You heard me, Damon. I miss you." She said again, getting closer.

Was she even being serious? Where did all this attachment come from?

"Andie..don't. Don't even start." He said frustrated. "You were the one who pushed me into admitting my feelings for Elena, so what is it that you want, uh? Sabotaging my relationship?"

She shook her head, chuckling humorless. "Relationship…wow, Damon. I never thought I was going to hear that term from you."

"And especially not about Elena. I thought she was just going to be a fling. She's so...shallow." She said shrugging, getting closer to him.

He grew mad at her comment, who exactly did she think she was? And what was the problem with all the people around him hating on him and Elena? His father, Andie, and probably even Stefan.

Elena was the most precious thing in his life and he would defend what they had everyday, at all costs.

He got closer to her as she smirked devilishly. "Mind you, because the only shallow thing here is you." He spat through clentched teeth.

"I want you back." She whispered near his lips as he pratically shoved her away.

She was crazy. One day she wanted him to confess his feelings for Elena, and the other she was changing her mind.

Just then Elena came in and Damon cursed mentally. He could see the pure surprise, confusion and especially slight hurt on her face as she clearly misunderstood the whole thing. Fuck!

"Jenna's fiance and my brother are here." She just said before slamming the door of the room.

Andie chuckled smugly as Damon looked at her in disgust.

"Bitch." He said.

"Oh come on now…you don't really mean that. We used to have so much fun together Damon. She's _not_ the one for you, _I_ am. I still don't understand why you didn't want us to be together!" She said through clentched teeth, and in that moment she really seemed a psycotic.

Now he'd had enough. He had had women in the past who harassed him with wanting to be together, but Andie was seriously annoying. He damnded the eight months of their stupid little fling, if this was the result. He had always been clear with her; it was just fun, and sex. But clearly she didn't understand. All he wanted to do now was going to Elena and tell her that she didn't have to worry, because he was hers and she didn't have to fear anything.

If he had to be mean and harsh with Andie for making her understand things though, he didn't have problems with it. He could be the good guy, but he could also be the asshole that he had been for most of his life.

"No, I'll tell you what I really mean, Andie. We used to have _nothing_. Okay? You're shallow, stupid, and useless. You're good at opening your mouth just when it's _not_ about talking. So I advice you to keep that damn mouth shut because I've already had a rough day, and you and your bullshits are not helping me. Got it?" He said harshly, his face sarcastic.

He saw her flinching. Clearly hurt by his words..but he couldn't care less.

"I -" She couldn't even finish that Damon was already out of the door.

* * *

><p>Elena couldn't believe what she just saw. She trusted Damon, so even if it annoyed her she had let him talk with Andie when she pratically sent her way earlier. She wanted to be superior about the whole situation. But then walking into the room and seeing her all over him…she almost lost it. That bitch should thank god that she was at her aunt's house, otherwise she would remember the punch on her face for all her life. It was unbelievable. Elena didn't want to be one of those jealous clinging girlfriends, but she knew that Damon was desidered, and being insecure herself, she just couldn't help it. The night was going just so well so far, she thought...<p>

She took a deep breath and demanded to herself to keep it together.

Alaric arrived with the pizza's, followed by Jeremy and his girlfriend. She was cute. She had long dark hair and a beautiful porcelain skin.

"Ric!" Elena said entusiastically, rushing over him.

"Elena! I'm so happy you're here!" He said fondly, hugging her. "How are you? Jenna told me about the accident…" He said simpathetically.

"All good. But let's not talk about it okay?" She quickly switched subject. "The house is so beautiful, I told Jenna already. It's been such a good decision for you two to move in here."

"Thank you El -…" He was saying when his eyes widened in surprise, looking up at the stairs.

All Elena could see was a very frustrated Damon making his way down. So what?

"Damon?" Alaric said in disbelief, his jaw almost dropping.

"Ric?" Damon said with the same tone.

"Come here man!" Alaric said laughing, pulling Damon into an affectionate manly hug.

What was all this about? They knew each other? In that moment Jenna came into the room with probably the same question in her mind.

"You two know each other?" Jenna asked looking between the two.

"Yeah..we are, uhm, drinking buddies. We hang out at the Grill a lot but now it's been awhile since the last time." Alaric explained sounding a bit sand in the end.

"Sorry about that. I've been keeping myself busy." Damon said sliding an arm around Elena's waist, winking at her.

The situation was completely messy, especially with the whole Andie thing, but Elena was kind of glad that Alaric and Damon were friends. It was crazy such a coincidence.

"Unbelievable. Don't tell me that you're Elena's mysterious boyfriend?" Alaric asked.

"The one and only." Damon said cockily.

Elena couldn't help but laugh at his cockiness.

They all made their way into the living room where the table was settled, and just then Elena took in Jeremy and his girlfriend. He had just finished showing her the house and Elena made her way to them.

"Hey, Jer." She said smiling.

"Lena!" He said pulling her into a tight hug. "This is Anna." He then introduced them.

"Nice to meet you Elena." Anna said shyly. She seemed sweet.

"Nice to meet you too." Elena said shaking her hand.

She quickly looked around and saw Damon and Alaric laughing at something, Jamie sitting on the couch looking through his papers and Jenna talking with a very upset Andie who was gesticulating hysterically with her hands.

She met Damon's gaze and smiled at him, silently asking him to join her, and he quickly accomplished.

"Hey man." Jeremy said smiling, patting Damon's shoulder.

They had already met a couple of times and Jeremy seemed to like Damon, fortunately. Jeremy was very protective of her.

"This is my girlfriend Anna."

"Hello, Damon." She said blushing lightly.

Damon and his charm, Elena thought. Cocky as he was he immediatly noticed it.

"It's a pleasure, Anna." He said shaking her hand and smirking slightly.

Poor Jamie was all alone and Elena mentally took note of introducing him to Jeremy right after dinner.

She left Damon talking with Anna and Jeremy for a moment as she went to Jamie. She could understand that he was probably finding the whole night pretty boring, since they were all adults and Jenna's friends with their child were no longer coming. Elena herself remembered how bored she was when her parents dragged her and Jeremy with them.

"Hey Jam, everything okay?" She asked as she sat on the couch near him.

"Yes. Is that Jeremy? Can I talk to him later?" He immediatly asked.

"Of course." Elena replied. "Now come, dinner is ready." She said taking his hand and leading him to the table.

In spite of everything, and pretending that the psycho bitch wasn't there, the night was going pretty well. She missed spending the evenings with Jenna, Jeremy, and Alaric, so finally being all reunited again adding Damon and Jamie made her feel more than happy.

"I'm so sorry about before baby. I know she's a pain in the ass, but I promise you she won't bother you anymore." Damon whispered in her ear as he squeezed her hand under the table.

She knew he was being honest with her. Damon always told her the truth no matter what.

"I know. Thank you for getting my back Damon." She said squeezing his hand back.

"Always." He said, kissing her softly on the cheek.

"You two are so sweet. How long have you been together?" Anna asked from across the table.

"Not so long, but we always had that 'spark'…you know. He was just being in denial for awhile." Elena teased, elbowing him playfully.

"Not true." Damon pratically scoffed.

Anna chuckled at their affectionate interaction.

"And you and Jeremy?" Elena asked.

"A few months. We met at the library. He approached me and started talking about the book that I was holding, which was about vampires. We're sort of geeks or how would you call it." Anna said laughing.

"Yeah tell me about it. Jeremy is so obsessed with mitological creatures and stuff." Elena rolled her eyes. "If you like those things too, you two are a perfect fit."

While talking with Anna, Elena saw Damon stiffening beside her. He seemed annoyed but tried to cover it. She then looked over the table and saw Andie throwing flirtarious looks at him. As if it was an instinct, Elena made her napkin fall on purpose just to look under the table. Oh god. The bitch was trying to play footsy with him. Elena decided that she'd had enough. She quickly took her napkin from the ground, and she extended her leg under the table a little. As soon as she felt Andie's foot, she smashed her foot on hers. She wanted to do her so much worse than a simple smash on the foot, though…

She felt her quickly retracting her foot and Elena throwed her a sarcastic smile. As if in understanding what had just happened, Damon chuckled amused.

Beside that, dinner went pretty well and Damon made sure of not drinking too much wine since he had to drive.

While waiting for dessert they all stood up and Elena decided that it was time for Jamie to meet Jeremy. For the whole night Jamie had been quiet and polite, and Elena couldn't believe that he was actually only five years old.

"Jer, this is Damon's nephew Jamie. He loves to draw too and he was dying to meet you ever since I told him about your art." Elena quickly explained.

Jeremy's eyes lighten up as he pratically related himself to Jamie. Even Jeremy used to have the passion for drawing since he was a kid, so he had the feeling that he and Jamie could get along pretty well.

"Hey buddy, nice to meet you. I'm Jeremy." He said shaking Jamie's little hand.

"I'm Jamie. 'Lena told me you're so cool! Do you want to see my drawings?" Jamie said all excited.

"Of course. What do you think if I'll take mine too, so you can see them?" Jeremy offered.

"Yay! Do you prefer drawing with pencil or watercolor?" Jamie said as he followed Jeremy into his room.

They were already getting along, and Jamie was already bombarding Jeremy with questions.

After awhile they all ate dessert, which was the red velvet cake that Elena loved so much. Jenna told her that she took it just for her.

Elena deciced to share her piece with Damon, and she loved how couplishy they acted even in front of the others. They fed each other and laughed the whole time, staying in their own little bubble. Elena decided to ignore Andie and her malice, she didn't really matter at all.

After dessert Jamie fell asleep in Jeremy's room, while all the adults settled on the couches in the living room.

After talking for awhile and maybe having drinking too much, the conversation lead into _sex_.

"Oh, yes. Oh yes Ric you are selfish in bed!" Jenna said laughing loudly, holding her fitfh glass of wine.

The only sober ones seemed to be Damon, Elena, and Anna. Jeremy was pretty high too.

"Am nooot!" He spat punching her playfully as they kept bickering.

Elena felt slightly uncomfortable as they went into pretty specific conversations, laughing and talking. God, how gross. She was in front of her little brother, and Jenna was her aunt for god's sake.

Damon was smirking amused the whole time and Elena could only think about the fact that he was probably the most experienced of them all.

Elena and Anna throwed an understanding uncomfortable smile. Thanks god someone else normal was in there...

Jeremy and Anna were sitting on the love seat, and Anna was awkwardly being quiet all the time as Jeremy just laughed drunkily at everything. Jenna and Alaric were making a show of their own as they kept laughing like idiots on the floor, and Elena and Damon were sitting close in one of the couches, facing the bitch sitting in one armchair holding a glass of wine.

"Jeez, these conversations…" Elena muttered huffing.

She kept playing uncomfortably with her hands on her lap as Damon took them in his. He gave her a soft kiss on the neck.

"Is it making you uncomfortable? We can go if you want." He said shrugging.

He could read her like an open book and sometimes Elena hated it. He was a sex god, while she was nothing at all. Hell yes if it was making her uncomfortable.

"No, no. We can stay." She said trying to sound convinced.

He nodded and pulled her closer to him as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"And you Andie? Whatcha think, what do you like in bed?" A red from laughing Jenna asked.

At that Elena immediatly stiffened and knew that Jenna just gave Andie something to play with.

In fact, a devlish smile appeared on her lips. "Everything, if the guy I'm with is good. And I happen to have been with some serious _amazing_ partners." She said glancing at Damon.

"There's this guy I've been with, who said that sex is the most important thing in a relationship, that without sex he wouldn't even consider being with a woman in the first place. And he was very, you know…good ". She said chuckling and sipping her wine.

She was talking about Damon. Elena knew it, and he knew it too. Damon just threw an exasperated look at Andie as in telling her to stop.

"And the things he could do to me in bed. God, mmmh…I'm aroused just thinking about it." She then said.

At that Elena actually snorted, tears starting to unconsciously blur her vision.

"But you know, it's just like that. What men want is sex..sex always comes first. And if you don't give it to them, they're going to search it somewhere else." She said, shrugging.

"Wow Andie. I wanna meet this guy." Jenna said serious for a moment, then starting to laugh hysterically again.

"Maybe you already do." She said in a low voice, winking. "Excuse me." She then said standing up and heading for the bathroom.

Elena stood up too, not wanting to cause a scene. She was already insecure about the subject, and now that bitch had managed to find her weak spot.

She run up the stairs, going into Jenna's room and closing the door. She inhaled deeply a few times for stopping the crying and the irritation that she knew was coming. She didn't want to give her that satisfaction, she wouldn't cry for Andie and for what she said.

She went in front of Jenna's long mirror, looking at herself. She was a pretty girl and she couldn't deny it, but having been with one guy only, and having been bullied by others at school didn't help. Not to mention being Damon Salvatore's girlfriend. She still couldn't believe it.

She couldn't stop her crying when she thought about Damon, and what would happen if he got tired of her and didn't want her anymore. She would be broken. He could do so much better than her, Elena knew it. They didn't even have sex yet and even though he said that he was willing to wait, what if the truth was that he didn't find her attractive?

She quickly wiped her tears away as she felt someone entering into the room.

"Elena…" Damon's soft voice called.

"Oh, hey. Sorry I was just…taking a break from the others. I needed some minutes of quiet." She said looking down.

"I'm so sorry." He just said, almost ashamed.

"She was talking about you, wasn't she? When she said that this guy told her that sex was the most important thing and that he wouldn't even consider being with a woman if it wasn't for that?" She said quietly.

"Yes." He said hesitantly, and he could see the hurt in her eyes. "I didn't think she would go that far. But Elena you have to believe me when I tell you that I can wait. That it's not a problem for me. I want _you_. And not only your body." He said approaching her.

He put his arms around her waist from behind, resting his head on her shoulder and placing a gentle kiss in the crook of her neck.

"Then why did you tell her those things? If being physical for you is the most important thing, then why are you with me? I'm not good enough, Damon. I'm scared that one day you will wake up and think 'I can do so much better than her'." She said, in the end her voice almost cracking.

His heart broke. He couldn't stand to see this beautiful girl in his arms crying for him, and for such silly things. She was being insecure once again when she was the most flawless woman he had ever met. Her self-esteem was low and he couldn't understand why.

For all his life he had been shallow about relationships with women, stopping at sex and casual dating when they wanted more. In the past sex did come first to him, because he thought that it was the most important thing he could experience. But it wasn't. Being with Elena tought him that it wasn't. He _loved_ her.

"Because I love you." He simply stated, locking eyes with her in the mirror. Ocean blue eyes holding brown doe eyes.

He could see the shock in her face and to be quite honest he was shocked himself too. He didn't think it would come out that easily..but it just did. Because he meant it with every part of his being.

"And I want you, Elena. Believe me when I say that I want you." He then said lowly. "You're perfect, love." He whispered into her ear.

He slowly put his hand under her shirt, cupping her breast. She moaned quietly as he kept caressing it through the material. He eventually slipped his hand under her bra stroking the naked skin and pinching her hard nipple.

She cried out and he could swear it was the hottest thing he had ever heard.

"Damon…" She moaned closing her eyes.

"I want you...and I know how much you want me too." He said, slipping his other hand between her thighs and playing with the button of her jeans.

"I can feel how wet you are for me…" He said teasing her through the material, this time earning a loud moan from Elena.

"But it is not the most important thing." He then said retracting both of his hands.

Elena's eyes snapped open locking eyes with him in the mirror again as he turned her around.

"So as I said, it can wait. As long as you need." He said smiling sweetly, kissing her lips. "I don't give a flying fuck about what other people say, and you shouldn't too." He said.

"You love me?" Elena asked almost enchanted, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes. Very much." He said honestly.

"Oh, Damon." Elena said pratically grinning. "I love you too baby. _So so_ much." She said kissing his face everywhere and then throwing her arms around his neck.

"Take me home." She whispered into his ear, holding him tighter to her body. "And I can't believe you were the first saying it." She then said chuckling.

"Actually, you said it first." He said smirking. "Last night in your sleep." He said winking when he saw the confusion on her face.

"Oh…" She said blushing slightly.

They went into Jeremy's room finding Jamie sleeping quietly. Damon took him in his arms and they headed out of the room.

Downstairs Elena noticed that Jeremy and Anna were gone, probably at Anna's place. Jenna and Alaric were now on the couch cuddling while Andie was there chatting with them.

"Oh, there you are." She said as she saw Damon and Elena.

"Yes, we're actually going _home_." Elena said firmly, putting her hand on one of Damon's arms.

He turned around and gave her a sweet smile full of love before capturing her lips in his. Everyone could see how in love they were.

Andie's smug smile quickly fell as she realized that her stupid plan didn't do any good.

"We're going Jenna. Thank you for everything. It's been such a wonderful night…in spite of some things." Elena said glancing hardly at Andie.

"Oh sure. Goodnight 'Lena. Thank you for coming!" Her aunt said sleepily.

Elena looked over at Alaric and giggled when she saw that he was sleeping and snoring.

"Sorry Damon can't come over here, but little Jamie is sleeping and Damon is carrying him." Elena said. "Bye Jenna." She then said giving her aunt a quick kiss on the cheek. "And let me know if you liked our gift." She winked.

Neither Damon or Elena bothered to say goodbye to Andie, who was annoyed to no end.

Elena opened the door of the car as Damon placed Jamie behind. When she was about to give him the keys of the car, she saw Damon a little giddy.

"Hey, are you alright?" She asked immediatly stepping behind him.

"Yeah I just feel a little…dizzy. Can you drive please?" He asked in a low voice.

"Are you sure you're okay? You didn't even drink that much." She said.

"I'm fine. I just don't feel like driving."

Elena eyed him suspiciously before taking the keys and heading to the driver's seat. Maybe he was just getting the flue…


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Hi guys! :) Here's a new chappie...the longest so far lol. As always thank you so much for your reviews. I really do love them so please keep them coming :)**

**Here's one thing to say about this chapter: some of you (okay, let's say everyone haha) will probably hate me for it, but er..this is a Delena story so no Delena, no story as far as I'm concerned. So yes you will hate me but just for a while...I promise :)**

**Enjoy the chapter and please let me know what you think!**

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><p>For the whole ride home Elena kept glancing at Damon from time to time. He looked a little pale and she was sort of concerned. He didn't even drink that much, and he seemed like a tough person who barely got flues or something. He kept telling her that he was feeling fine but she still felt protective of him.<p>

Jamie was sleeping quietly behind, while Damon was just sitting on the passanger side casually, seeming less giddy than before but still tired.

Elena felt kind of guilty..if he wasn't feeling well in the first place, he could have told her. They would have stayed home.

"Are you sure you're okay? Do you need anything?" Elena asked again as she pulled off in the driveway of the Boarding House.

"I said I'm fine, Elena. I just need to get some rest…really." He said annoyed. It seemed almost a touchy subject for him.

As he got off the car and stumbled a little though, Elena didn't quite believe him. She wished he could stop with the tough guy act. If he wasn't feeling well, she would have gladly took care of him.

"I'll take Jamie to bed." He said as he moved to pick up Jamie.

"Don't worry about it, I'll take him. _You_ go to bed." She said smiling weakly.

Damon was always so caring and attentive with her, and yet for this stupid thing he was getting all touchy and angry. She didn't understand him. Especially not after they said how they felt about each other tonight. Maybe he was really just tired and she was overreacting…

He nodded silently and took the keys of the house, opening the door and letting her in with Jamie in her arms. Luckily Jamie wasn't that heavy..she even had to take him up the stairs.

"You sure you don't want me to take him?" Damon asked chuckling a little.

Just that sound relieved Elena a little. "I can handle it. Stop mocking me!" She said with the same tone, kicking him lightly on the leg with her foot.

"I'll get him to bed and then I'm going to check up on you..maybe you have just some fever. Perhaps I can bring you an aspirin?" She asked once they were upstairs.

"Stop worrying so much. You overreact way too much." He groaned rolling his ocean blue eyes. "But I would definitely agree on you getting me to bed…" He then added making his eye thing.

Elena flushed a little and rolled her eyes.

"Stop being such an ass. I just want to take care of you." She said with a pointed look.

"Sorry, I just…I'm not used to other people taking care of me. It's been just me all my life." He said honestly.

"Well, it's not like that anymore. You have me now, you are _always_ going to have me." She said giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.

He nodded and went to his room. Elena brought Jamie into his room, getting him in bed as quietly as she could. She took his jacket and shoes off, pulling him under the covers and turning off the light.

Next step; taking care of her touchy annoyingly boyfriend. She went downstairs again, taking an aspirin for him and filling herself a cold glass of water.

She went to her room quickly changing into her comfy pj and its combined sweatshirt. She even took her phone with her to settle the alarm since she had planned on sleeping in Damon's bed tonight.

She then entered Damon's bedroom, finding an empty bed and the sound of the water from the bathroom. She sat on his bed holding the aspirin and a bottle of water.

He came out a few minutes later only in a pair of sweats pants and shirtless. Oh, god. She had seen him with his bare chest lots of times now actually, but it still took her breath away everytime. He was just so damn perfect.

A cocky grin flashed on his face. "Hello there."

She smiled as he came up to her and pulled her off the bed, taking her in his arms as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"See? I can still carry heavy things." He teased lifting an eyebrow.

Did he just call her heavy? "Ugh, you're an ass!" She gasped, hitting his shoulder.

"I was kidding my love." He chuckled softly as he kissed her on the lips.

He put her down and she smiled at him innocently. "Here's your aspirin." She said holding it up.

"I'm fine 'Lena seriously. I don't need any aspirin." He pouted boyishly.

"Okay…if you say so." She sighed. "But take it if you feel giddy or weak again, alright?" She said pointedly.

"Yes sir." He said faking seriousness.

She rolled her eyes and smacked him playfully. "Let's get you to bed, big boy."

"Only if you come too..." He said.

"I was planning on it actually." She said seductively.

"Good." He grinned.

"But put a tee-shirt on." She said holding up a finger.

"Why, can't handle all this hotness?" He said smirking, pointing at his body.

"No, it's because I don't want you to get cold..so quite the opposite." She said smirking herself.

"Gee, you sound like my mother." He groaned.

She chuckled softly as she got into bed. He put a simple black tee-shirt on and slipped next to her, wrapping his arms around her as she rested her head on his chest, smoothly caressing it. It relaxed him.

"Tell me about her. Your mom. Always if you want to…" She said quietly.

He smiled fondly and she could tell that he really loved his mother. "It's okay." He said.

"Her name was Elizabeth, and she was a lot like me actually. Both physically and mentally. She passed away when I was just a kid...Stefan remembers so little about her. It always hurts him thinking about it, how much he's missed of her." He said with sadness in his voice.

"I'm sorry Damon. I know the feeling." Elena said, empathizing a lot with him.

She knew how it was like to lose a mother. Both parents. But Damon's father was an asshole, so he really didn't count after all.

She wondered if bringing her up was a bad idea. He still seemed sad and lost in his thoughts..she probably shouldn't have asked, maybe he wasn't ready yet. She kissed his chest softly.

"Let's get some sleep..okay?" She asked quietly.

"Sure. Goodnight baby." He said kissing her on the lips.

"'Night." She whispered.

The movement of his chest raising up and down while he breathed in his sleep was comforting and relaxing, pulling her into sleep pretty quickly. A little smile curved her lips. It was all perfect.

Elena was woken up by a phone ringing. Her phone. She quickly glanced over to Damon seeing that he was still sleeping quietly. With sleepy eyes she picked up the phone from the nightstand…late night calls always scared the shit out of her. She then glanced at the screen and saw that it was 1:00am. And that it was Caroline. She rolled her eyes.

What was up with Stefan and now Caroline calling in the middle of the night? It was getting annoying. She still loved to hear from Caroline though, so she quickly accepted the call mumbling an 'hello'.

"Lena! Oh my god Elena…we _so_ have to talk I'm telling you." Caroline's excited voice said from the other line.

Elena had to keep away the phone from her ear a little. Hearing her squealing like that when she was just being woken up in the middle of her sleep was quite annoying.

"Oh..really? What about?" She croaked out.

"Hey what's up, are you sick? You sound all croaky…" She said.

Elena smiled sarcastically even though she knew she couldn't see her. "Oh I don't know Care, I've just been woken up in the middle of the night. No big deal." She said.

"Oh..oopsy! So sorry El. But here it's still pretty early. I'll call you later then…" She said, sounding disappointed though.

"Don't worry Care, the damage is done now." She said rolling her eyes and chuckling softly.

As she waited for Caroline to talk, Elena rested her head on Damon's chest, passing a hand through his soft raven locks which relaxed her a lot.

"Well..Stefan spoke to Damon yesterday, and guess what? Damon has a girlfriend! I mean, a freaking girlfriend! Damon Salvatore! Oh my…I feel sorry for the girl though. He's so clearly playing with her..maybe she's just good in bed you know. Tell me about it..you pratically live with him so you sure know everything. Is she pretty? Is he really into her?" Caroline asked, curiosity exploding from every fiber of her being.

Elena loved her friend, but Caroline sometimes could be really shallow. She got it Damon wasn't her favorite person in the world but no need to blab like that. It was kind of mean. She was so tempted to tell her that the 'poor girl' was her, and that Damon had been nothing but a sweet gentleman with her but she stayed quiet remembering how she and Damon decided to tell them together.

"She's pretty, I guess…and yeah he seems really in love." She said quietly, looking at his sleeping form with a smile.

"Well, if you say so..." Caroline said kind of suspicious.

She might be dumb sometimes, but at understanding those things Caroline was pretty smart.

"Care look I gotta go now. I'm so tired you don't even know." She said faking a yawn.

Elena was a bad liar and she knew that if they kept talking about it Caroline would have found out soon.

"Oh right..I'm so sorry 'Lena. I didn't remember I woke you up." She said with a light giggle. "Good thing that Stef and I are coming back in a week..that douche bag of his father wanted him to stay for another week, can you believe that? I swear if Stefan doesn't get his ass on the plane in a week, I'll come back by myself." She started blabing again and Elena rolled her eyes.

"Goodnight Care..tell Stefan I say hi." She said hanging up before the blonde could reply.

She put her phone down on the nightstand turning it off, and quickly got under the covers again. She smiled contently as she pressed her body against Damon who mumbled her name in his sleep with a little pout as he unconsciously pulled her closer. She giggled at how adorable he looked. She kissed his pouty lips and drifted back to sleep.

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><p>Damon woke up feeling fine, despite last night's dizziness. He glanced over the clock and noticed that it was just 7:30 am.<p>

Elena was still sleeping peacefully on her side. She really looked like an angel and Damon couldn't help but smile lovingly at her sight. She was everything to him…

He thought about last night's symptoms and he suddenly grew thoughtful. He wasn't paranoic, not really…but he couldn't help but wonder if as Stefan said they should really go to Dr. Hunt to check up on them.

He had always avoided the argument acting indifferently, but lately it was something that was bugging him day and night. Especially now that he had something to lose. How he felt last night could have been nothing, probably some tiredness or a start of a flu but somehow he had a strange feeling telling him to get his shit together and act on the problem once and for all.

He looked outside the window and saw that it was raining heavily. It was the perfect day to stay in, but he lazily woke up immediatly searching for his phone, which was still inside the pocket of his jeans.

He put it in charge as he went to the bathroom, washing and dressing up quickly. He then took his phone and went out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him. He headed over Jamie's room seeing that he was still sleeping too and then headed downstairs.

He poured a cup of coffee and then finally decided to call Dr. Hunt. He sighed heavily as he dialed the number. He never thought that he would have reached this point unless forced by Stefan or just out of real necessity.

"Dr. Hunt's study." A woman's voice replied after a couple of rings.

"Goodmorning, could I speak to Dr. Hunt please?" He asked.

There were a few moments of silence as the secretary probably checked if the doctor was available.

"Dr. Hunt." A man's deep voice replied politely.

"Hello doctor, it's Damon Salvatore. I wanted to know if I could possibly pay you a visit this morning? I know I should have called earlier but I'd really like to get over with it." Damon said sighing.

"Oh, Mr. Salvatore. I'm glad you called. I happen to be free most of the morning, you think you can make it for let's say, nine o'clock?" He said.

"Sure thing." Damon replied.

"Is your brother coming with you?" Dr. Hunt asked hesitantly.

"Stefan…no. He's out of town for business. I'll be alone." Damon said gulping a little nervously.

"Oh I see...tell him to come by too when he gets back though." He sounded serious.

"Sure..thank you for your time. See you at nine then." He said haning up.

He took a deep breath and put the phone down. He immediatly took a pen and a piece of paper, leaving a note for Elena saying that he had to check some things up at one of his father's buildings. Big fat lie. But he had promised to himself to not put her into this, and he wanted to keep his word no matter what. It was probably wrong, but he didn't really care.

By now it was becoming almost an habit to leave notes to Elena saying that he was out somewhere. It bugged him because he wanted nothing more to possibly stay in bed with her all day…but he had to do this.

He left the note in the kitchen not wanting to go upstairs risking to wake her up. He put his leather jacket on and quickly headed out.

It was still early and it was raining, but he just couldn't stay in the house without nothing to do. He was feeling too anxious.

He drived around for a while, stopping to the Grill for a few minutes to check up on it. It was still one of his father's property and therefore his, but this was probably the only place he cared about being theirs, besides the Boarding House and the estate in the mountains that his mother loved so much.

It was already 8:30 am as he was driving to Dr. Hunt's office as he got a text from Elena. He smiled softly even before reading it_: Got your note :) Be back soon, I want to cook you lunch today. LOL, don't be too hard on me though! I'm not as good as you. Love you._

He smiled softly at the last words. He still couldn't believe that he really said that and that she said it back. It was like a dream. Never in his life he thought he would tell a woman those three little but at the same time so beautiful words. And hearing it from Elena, was music to his ears. She deserved the best and he wanted to be it for her. She was the one.

He parked in the lot and before heading out of the car he replied to her text: _I'll be back in an hour or two. About the lunch..don't worry I will tell you it's good no matter what. So you'll never know...kidding babe ;) Love you too._

He put his phone back in his leather jacket as he entered the office.

He never really went there before, but his father and a lot of his relatives did and Giuseppe urged him and Stefan to go too. The Salvatore's seemed to have heart problems…pun intended.

It was something going on in his family since always. His grandfather died because of it and so did Giuseppe's brother. Needless to say that his father had immediatly took a test and he resulted positive too, taking it in time though to be kept in control. He had to take tons of pills and do tests at least three or four times every month. It was a pain in the ass and something unpredictable. Giuseppe always thought that both Damon and Stefan probably had the same defect, but they never really went into the argument that much. They were young…and probably too scared to face something like that. But Damon knew he had to, he couldn't run anymore.

He thought about his mother and how worried she was when she knew about the thing. She had been crying for days praying that at least Damon and Stefan were free of this curse. When Giuseppe's father died, they all thought it was because of his age and that it was a simple heart attack. But then it came out that he always had health problems, and Giuseppe's older brother died a few months after in the same circustamces. After that Giuseppe got tested and when it resulted that his heart had a flaw just like his father and his brother's…it all went to hell. Damon remembered that his mother was already sick when they found out about it and it had added even more drama at their already dark heavy period. She and Giuseppe fought almost everyday, and he remembered to hear her saying that she couldn't forgive herself for leaving her sons when they probably needed her in their lives, and that they both could have been sick from birth.

She had asked to Giuseppe everyday to make the doctors see Damon and Stefan; but they all said that it was too soon to tell something like that. They were just kids back then.

He shook his depressing thoughts away, thinking that everything was going to be alright, and that maybe he and Stefan had been lucky.

He headed over the desk and spoke to one of the secretaries.

"I'm Damon Salvatore, I have an appointment with Dr. Hunt." He said almost impatiently.

She checked the agenda and then smiled politely at him.

"That way, Mr. Salvatore." She said as she pointed to a door at the bottom of the room.

He nodded thanking her and made his way towards the office. He knocked as the doctor told him to come in.

"Mr. Salvatore." He said standing up to greet him.

"Hello, Dr. Hunt." Damon nodded, shaking his hand a bit nervously.

"Please have a sit." He said as Damon quickly accomplished.

"So..I presume you're here for those tests." He said.

"Yes...I think it's the right thing to do." Damon sighed.

"Of course." Dr. Hunt nodded in understanding. "Your uncle Zach is actually about to do these same tests as you. He's coming right after you. If we get to test you both today, I will probably be able to give you the results together." He said trying to sound somehow comforting.

Zach was one of Damon's many uncles. Truth be told he wasn't fond of any of them. Salvatore's weren't known to be the nicest people in the world, that is.

"Did you have any symptoms or a specific reason that made you decide to get tested now?" The doctor asked hesitantly, holding a pen.

"I talked with my brother yesterday and I thought it was probably a good idea to just get over with it already." Damon said casually.

For some reasons he didn't want to refer to last night's dizziness, it could have been nothing and he just didn't want to dramaticize the thing even more.

"I see. Come with me please." He said standing up.

Damon didn't remember feeling this anxious in his whole life. He had never been scared of hospitals and stuff, but this was making him explode. The tension was unbereable.

He took a deep breath, standing up and following the doctor. As he stepped out of the room, he saw his Uncle Zach pacing nervously around the hallway. Damon almost groaned as Zach took him in and approached him. Now it definitely wasn't a great moment for this 'family time'.

"Damon." He greeted.

"Zach, what a coincidence." Damon said smiling tightly.

"Are you here for that test too?" Zach asked putting a hand on his shoulder and looking at him with symphaty.

As Damon nodded he spoke up again. "Well..at least we're not alone in this. You should tell your brother to come too. Lydia pratically forced me into coming today since we're going on a trip next week." He said chuckling trying to sound relaxed. His anxiety was clear though.

"Mr. Salvatore?" Dr. Hunt said holding the door of the room.

"Look Zach I gotta go now. You'll be here though, right?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, I'm right after you. Good luck." He said nodding firmly.

"Thank you." Damon said, hoping for that luck.

The process wasn't that long, but that half an hour seemed an eternity to him. Doing this behind everyone's back sure wasn't helping. Neither Elena, Stefan or not even Giuseppe knew about this.

One of the nurses took some of his blood. She then took his pressure and in the end they attached some strange wires at his heart. He saw the machine processing it all and he told himself to calm down and that everything was going to be okay. The whole concept of the 'everything is gonna be okay' was something that he had always hated. He hated getting his hopes up for nothing or being sure of something that could be wrong. But now for some reasons he wanted to believe that too.

After five minutes of torture, the nurse got the wires off his chest and told him that they were done. Damon quickly put his shirt on heading out.

"Dr. Hunt is currently visting your uncle, Mr. Salvatore. It might take a while so I advice you to take a walk and come back in one hour or two." A nurse said smiling politely.

Thanks god. Taking some fresh air was just what he needed. He stepped out of the office and walked around for a while.

That was it, today he was going to know the truth and there was no coming back. He sighed heavily and thought about the consequences if he indeed resulted sick. Luckily there were stages of the disease. Giuseppe in fact took it in time and was able to control it, even though it was a pain everyday more. But people like his grandfather or Giuseppe's brother didn't have the same luck and died in a few years. Few _months_.

He then realized that he was doing it because Elena came into his life. Before he had nothing to lose beside his pathetic and lonely life. But now that she came into his life…she was everything. She was worth everything and he wanted to hopefully spend the rest of his life with her.

That is, if he had a life to _live_ for. He decided then and there that if he was sick, he wouldn't have put her into this. She couldn't afford even this in her life, it was just not fair. She had to live a happy life; full of happy memories and less miserable ones as possibile.

Forcing her into this wasn't an option for him. She would have to see him die slowly and painfully and it wasn't something that he could accept.

It made his heart clenching painfully just thinking about it...but if he had to leave her, he already had a plan and he was not going back.

He glanced over his clock and saw that an hour had already passed. He walked towards Dr. Hunt's study again, knowing that the moment had arrived.

When he entered the secretary looked at him with pity for a moment but she quickly recomposed. He decided to shrugg it off.

"Is Zach Salvatore still here?" He asked a little perplexed.

"He just left. He had an important meeting, but his test went just fine so there was nothing to discuss about." She said casually. "Anyway Dr. Hunt is waiting for you. When you feel ready, er, when you want to you can go." She said sounding a little nervous herself.

He eyed her strangely as he stepped into the doctor's office once again. As he looked up at him, he knew he was screwed.

He knew that pity look. You could see it in the movies, or just when someone simply had to tell you something bad. And he had seen it himself everytime someone looked or talked with his mother during her sickness. It made him mad.

"Damon…" Dr. Hunt started quietly.

Fuck, even calling him for name. Could he be any more obvious?

"Just get to the point." Damon said abruptly, not making eye contact.

He sighed heavily and looked at Damon with symphaty.

"I'm so sorry Damon, believe me. Maybe if you came sooner we could have…" He was trying to say when Damon interrumpted.

"How much? How much time do I have?" Damon asked, his jaw clenching.

"From three to six months." Dr. Hunt replied honestly.

Damon took a deep breath to control his nerves and stumbled on the chair. "And there's nothing you can do? Like a cure, a therapy? Hell even a transplant."

"There are various stages of this desease, Damon. If you came sooner, maybe we could have done something…but I'm not even sure. It has attacked you very roughly." He explained. "I'm deeply sorry. Giving these kind of news to my patients always gets me so much you have to believe me. I say enjoy your life as much as you can..at least until you start to feel the first symptoms."

Damon heard half of what he said. He was numb. He couldn't think properly but at the same time it was very clear in his head; he was dying and there was nothing he could do about it.

His body was shaking and he was feeling tremendousely nauseos but he tried to keep it together. "Which would be?"

"Fever, weakness, dizziness, vomit…" The doctor said shaking his head. "You will eventually lose your appetite and you probably won't be able to move so much." He continued.

"I got it." Damon said harshly.

He abruptly stood up and walked to the door.

"Damon look…if you need anything at all…" Dr. Hunt started.

"Goodbye Dr. Hunt." He said before closing the door.

People were looking at him strangely as he exited the room. His fits were clentched and he kicked the wall once he was alone.

"Damn it. Fuck fuck _fuck_." He swore loudly.

He was raging and furious, but just when he thought about Elena and the fact that he had to leave her, tears started forming in his eyes.

Did he even remember the last time he cried? Damon never allowed himself to cry or show his weakness. But as images of him and Elena passed through his mind, what would they miss, what he couldn't give to her anymore...tears started streaming down his face and he knew what he had to do.

With shaky hands he took the phone and dialed Stefan's number. He didn't want to involve his brother into this, but he was the only one who could understand him.

"Hello?" Stefan replied at the first ring.

"Stef?" He said, noticing that his own voice sounded almost desperate.

"Damon? Are you okay? Is Jamie okay?" Stefan said immediatly sounding worried.

Damon chuckled softly. Stefan and his anxiety.

"Jamie's fine. But Stefan there is a…there is a situation, and I need you to come back as soon as possible. Please."

"Damon, you're scaring me."

"Stefan damn it I can't talk to you about this over the phone. Just come back home please." He said frustrated.

"Are you in trouble?" Stefan guessed.

"N…kind of. I just need you to come here, okay?" He said, the little shake of fear in his voice betraying him.

"Alright. I'll take the first flight this evening...don't worry." He said sounding concerned.

"Okay. Just don't tell father. Not even Caroline." Damon said hanging up before he could reply.

He took a deep breath and walked towards his car. Once he stepped in, his phone buzzed. It was Elena.

He almost took the call when he remembered that he wasn't ready to talk to her just yet. She would sense that something was wrong and he wanted to keep it together in front of her.

He pulled into the Boarding House driveway thirty minutes later. He stayed a few minutes in the car wondering if she would have understood that something was wrong. Elena could read him like a book.

He stepped outside and opened the front door quietly. He could hear laughing from the living room and smiled softly. Her laugh…it was music to his ears.

She and Jamie were playing in the living room and as she saw him coming in her eyes lit up. "Damon." She said smiling.

"You're back, finally. Where have you been?" She said as she stepped closer, kissing him softly on the lips.

"I've been taking care of some things, Stefan asked me to do it." He shrugged casually.

"You look a little pale..are you sure you're okay?" She asked scanning his face.

"Perfectly." He said smiling and kissing her forehead. He had probably just said the biggest lie of his life.

"Good." She grinned. "I've been cooking lunch and Jamie helped me. We tried doing your famous carbonara, baby. But I think I've made a mess though." She chuckled.

He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her, but now he just couldn't.

He took a bite from the pasta as she looked at him expectantly biting her lip.

"Non sense. This is really good love." He said winking.

If she only could see his real face at the moment. He was feeling terribile about lying to her like that, but he was truly convinced that it was for her best. He would always look out for her. He thought about leaving her behind…and she eventually moving on, forgetting about him. It was eating him alive.

"You sure it's good?" Elena asked as she saw his expression darkening.

"Of course." He said smiling immediatly.

"I'm happy you like it, I wanted to surprise you." She said as she closed her eyes and put his shoulder around her, buring her face in it.

"I've missed you this morning when I woke up. I want to wake up with you beside me everyday of my life." She said quietly as her big doe eyes looked up at him.

"Me too." He whispered smiling a little and kissing her head.

You are the love of my life, he wanted to tell her. Thank you for showing me what loving and being loved means. He was literally struggling to not cry.

"Alright, let's set up the table okay?" She said stepping out of his embrace.

He immediatly felt the loss of her touch. Something he had to get used to.

The rest of the day passed pretty quickly. It was still raining heavily and Damon thought that the weather just echoed his feelings at the moment.

What were those things you told people who were dying? Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. He almost wanted to laugh. He was pretty sure that he would never really reach the last one.

At 7 pm Stefan sent him a text telling him that he was on the flight and that he would arrive in nine or ten hours. He didn't tell anything to Jamie or Elena, deciding to surprise them when Stefan got back, and after Damon talked to him.

Elena went to bed early saying that she was tired and Jamie did the same. During the day she eyed him suspiciously a few times, but Damon pretended not to notice.

As Elena slept quietly Damon searched through one of the drawers in his room that he almost never opened. Some of the most important things for him were there.

He smiled fondly as he looked at the pictures of him and his mother and he and Stefan as kids. He then took one of his mother's most precious thing and fingered it softly. It was her emerald necklace. It was beautiful. It had a litte stone with a little piece of emerald in it. It seemed to sparkle and Damon thought how well it would look on Elena.

He knew that she had lost her mother's necklace that night, and how much it meant to her. It really pained him seeing her like that and he had already planned on giving her his mother's necklace. She had told him to give it to someone special..to someone he knew would hold his heart forever.

And that someone was Elena. It was always going to be her.

He gently put the necklace on the nightstand, then turning over Elena and kneeling in front of her. She was sleeping so quietly and she was so beautiful and pure. He softly stroked her hair, leaving butterflies kisses on her face.

"I love you baby girl. I love you so much please always remember this." He whispered in her ear as he felt his eyes getting wet.

He got up and brushed his tears away. He then took one of his mother's porcelain boxes, placing the necklace inside it. His mother was a classy woman and she loved such things as antique trades. That little porcelain box and the necklace in it were now a treasure to him.

He now had to do the hardest thing of all. He took a deep breath and headed over his desk. He took one paper and a pen, writing a letter that was meant for Elena. But of course, he would never be able to give it to her.

_My beloved Elena,_

_When you will read this letter, you will probably hate me a little. But that's okay, because I know that you're happy right now._

_Happiness and love is all I want you to have. You deserve it more than anyone, and it pains me to know what I won't be the reason of it. When I left you, it wasn't because I didn't love you. I've always loved you and always will. You made me fall in love with you since the first time I saw you..you're my baby girl. You hold my heart in your hands._

_When I thought about my future..I saw it with you. I thought about the two of us building-up a life together. Living together until the last day of our lives. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. But I'm sure you've found someone who loves you and respects you just like you deserve to._

_The reason why I didn't tell you before it's because I think you deserve to live your life fully, with no more sadness to carry on your shoulders. I've never wanted to leave you..but at the same time, I feel like leaving you like that was the best thing to do. You will hate me for a while, or maybe forever, for breaking your heart..but you will move on and go through this, as you always did in your life. Your strenght is one of the many reasons which made me fall in love with you. Please don't hate me after reading this. If I did wrong, then I'm sorry. But I feel like letting you live your life without the memory of my death will be nothing but the best._

_You will probably blame yourself a little..but please don't do it. And probably you will hate me for not saying this to you..but I will only be a far memory when my brother is going to hand you this letter and tell you the story. I want this to happen in a long time though. Ten years, fifteen years..I don't care. When you will be ready for this and I will be a remote memory._

_I know you loved me, and I want to thank you for that. For showing me what loving and being loved means. I will forever be grateful to you for this._

_Even if he will be a grown up man, please always look out for Jamie. He loves you so much. You're like a mother to him._

_Together with this letter I want you to have something very precious for me that was very important for my mother too. I know you've lost your mother's necklace and how much it meant for you...but I hope you will love this one too, maybe remiding you a little bit of me and my love for you._

_I love you._

_Forever yours, _

_Damon.  
><em>

He carefully closed it, and for a moment he wondered if it was the right thing to do. Of course it is, he thought. You're going to make her live her life, making her remember you as the asshole who broke her heart when she was young. It's for the best he thought again.

He knew though that he couldn't die knowing that Elena would never know the truth. He had to talk to Stefan about this.

He would tell him about him and Elena, how they fell in love, and how much she meant to him. Hopefully his brother would understand and do as he asked him. He wanted to do it as soon as possibile, he couldn't stand to look Elena in the eyes and lying to her like that. He was a coward and he knew it but she would eventually be grateful for it.

In a few weeks he would leave her, telling her that he had to move to New York and that the work was really important for him. She would probably ask if she could come too, or if he didn't think about their relationship while making the decision…and then he would dump her. It made him sick even just thinking about it but he had to do what he had always been capable to do in his life; put on a mask and be cold. Pratically being an actor.

He knew that it was going to be too difficult doing it with Elena, but at least he had to give it a try.

He knew he had to leave her. It would be less painful for her if he left her like that, instead of seeing him die slowly in front of her eyes. She was so young..it was something too hard for her. She would probably never recover from it completely. The scar would always be there somewhere in her heart for her whole life. As the realization that he was leaving her hit him, Damon let a few tears escape and he felt like he had to destroy everything in front of him. He wanted to scream, destroy and kick everything in his way but he kept his feelings for himself.

He was dying, and now the only hope was that at least his little brother was going to be okay. He had Jamie, he couldn't leave him.

He was going to move to New York or some other great city and spend the last months of his life there. Such a great way to live the last days of your life, he thought. But the truth was that without Elena it wasn't even worth it. He couldn't care less about anything else.

He put the letter into the box, and then put the necklace on top of it. He closed the box and put it in his drawer, locking it.

He would give it to Stefan eventually before leaving, and he would explain everything to him. Hopefully his brother was going to understand and do this one last thing for him.

He realized that it was already 5 am as he got a text from Stefan saying that he had just arrived at Mystic Falls' airport.

Let the hell begin.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: I think I suffer from insomnia you guys...lol. In fact it's 5 am and I've been up all night writing. **

**Thank you so much for all your reviews, I love every single review and your support is what keeps me going :) I know last chapter was very emotional. It was even for me while writing it. I have to tell you though; this one is too...maybe even a little more, hah? **

**I told you you were going to hate me for just a little and I intend to keep my word...just be a little patient, alright? ;)**

**I know some of you were excited about the talk between Stefan/Damon and even though it is not in this chapter, it will be in the next. *in a flashback*  
><strong>

**Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think!**

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><p>Stop it, Elena. You're a strong woman and you can do this. It's been three months now and he left you, he left you and he's not coming back, he doesn't want you. You can't let your life stop going on because of him.<p>

You won't be one of those girls who are going to lose themselves because who they thought was the love of their lives left them. You _won't_. So just stop it.

Elena kept telling this to herself as she took deep breaths. She hadn't thought about _him_ for a while now, but as she saw a couple fighting a few minutes ago, just like they fought when he left her..it reopened some scars that she thought were healing now. She didn't even know why she still bothered thinking about him. He didn't deserve her tears, her heart break, her love. He had showed his true colors; he didn't love her. For him she had always been a play thing.

She opened the water of the sink to cover her soft sobs. She looked at herself in the mirror and hot tears started escaping again as she remembered their first and last fight.

_"Wha__t do you mean you're leaving?" Elena asked in disbelief._

_They were in the living room of the Boarding House and Damon seemed completely off and indifferent to the situation._

_"Exactly what I said. That I'm leaving." He said once again, matter of factly. As if it was something completely normal._

_She snorted in annoyance and laughed dryly._

_"Right..." She rolled her eyes._

_His expression darkened and his eyes grew cold._

_"I meant what I said Elena. I'm leaving for New York and I'm not coming back." He said serious._

_"What do you mean you're not coming back? You mean for some weeks?" She asked._

_Sliht panic was beginning to take form in her body as her heart started beating faster_

_He chuckled humorless and rolled his eyes._

_"No, I'm leaving as in I'm moving there. I'm tired of Mystic Falls...and its people." He said in a bored tone._

_Elena's eyes widened in surprise and she could swear her heart stopped beating for a second. He did not just say that. This had to be some cruel, pahetic, joke she thought. She felt offended and humiliated at his words. But maybe she wasn't in that list? Damon could be harsh sometimes so maybe he just came off as too blunt.  
><em>

_"I...I don't know what to say. I don't understand. If you made such a decision, why didn't you tell me about it? We're a couple Damon certain things have to be discussed together. You don't want me to be part of your life?" She asked, her voice lowering always more, almost a whisper in the end._

_She saw hesitation and sadness in his face for a moment, but it disappeared so quickly that she wondered if it really happened.  
><em>

_"Look..it's been fun, okay? You've been a great company, I have to give you at least that much credit. You're cute, sweet, funny and blah blah blah. But I'm bored Elena. And annoyed with this life." He spat in her face harshly, sipping his bourbon in a gulp._

_Her face reddened and as a tight gulp formed in her throat she felt like throwing up, like she couldn't breathe or think properly. Unconscious tears started streaming down her face._

_"Damon..." She whispered in disbelief, shaking her head._

_That man in front of her was not the man she loved. Her Damon. Was this a nightmare? He was being cruel. Too cruel for his own good._

_"But you..you told me you loved me.." She said. "Did I do something wrong? Did I upset you in some ways please Damon tell me." She said, a sob escaping._

_She covered her mouth with her hands to cover the sobs. Her vision was blurry but she could see the remorse and pain in Damon's face._

_"I thought I did." He shrugged casually._

_She thought he was going to say something else but he didn't. He gulped tightly and bit his lip. Were his eyes a little steamed up? Elena couldn't understand anything anymore as realization hit her. Hard._

_He was leaving her behind. She knew it was going to happen one day. It was just too good to be real. She cursed at herself mentally thinking about all the warnings Caroline and other people gave her about Damon. But still she fell for him like a naive stupid girl._

_"I'm sorry Elena..I just don't see how this could work. I'm sure you'll fine someone good." He said patting her shoulder and quickly heading away.  
><em>

_He sobs became louder and she didn't even try to cover them anymore. She fell on the ground and kept crying until she was exhausted._

_He had even told her that he was going to pay her for her work with Jamie, when for her it was longer a work form the moment she kissed him and fell in love with him. She had even told him. Paying her made it seem all fake. His feelings for her were fake, her time here had been fake, everything was fake.  
><em>

"Elena? Elena are you ready?" Bonnie's soft voice and knock on the door distracted her from her trance.

She quickly cleared her throat and closed the water.

"Yes. Just one minute." She said.

"Okay…" Bonnie sighed hesitantly. She obviously knew better.

Bonnie had come to town one week after Damon left. She was staying for some months after her grandmother passed away and left her some properties. Seeing Elena in that state convinced her even more to take a little break from her studies and stay in Mystic Falls for a while.

Bonnie had always been Elena's rock, probably even more than Caroline. If Bonnie hadn't been here…Elena didn't know if she could have make it.

Caroline and Bonnie though decided to take her away for a week-end to go a SPA a little out of Mystic Falls and relax a little.

She had to admit, she was truly enjoying their time there. Caroline and Bonnie were so caring and attentive, especially about her feelings right now. She was vulnerable and she knew it.

There were days when she managed to not think about Damon at all…but others, it was just a break down all over again. She could cry for hours curled in her bed and miss him like crazy even though he had left her like she was dirt. She had been with Matt for years, and still something like that didn't happen when they broke up. She had been depressed for a week but then that was it. She had always been a tough woman, promising to herself to never let a man manipulate her life and her emotions. But with Damon...her feelings for him were still overhelming and she hated herself fot it. She hated him for it.

She stepped out of the bathroom and Bonnie and Caroline turned around to look at her.

"There she is." Caroline smiled. "Ready for dinner?" She then asked getting closer and taking her arm in hers.

"Absolutely. I'm starving." Elena giggled.

"Same here." Bonnie chuckled.

They walked through the hallway taking the elevator to the restaurant. They were all staying in the same room and Elena remembered how many sleep-overs they had done when they were in high school. Sometimes reliving that feeling again made her feel loved and safe. At least she was always going to have them.

"So..how did the wax go today?" Caroline asked with an amused smirk.

Oh, yeah…_that_. Elena blushed slightly. Today she had done massage, mani-pedi, and then Caroline told her to do the 'classic' wax. Elena thought they were only going to do her groin and legs, as always, but it didn't go quite like that...

"Don't even get me started." Elena told her with a pointed look. "It's all…bare. I feel like a four years old girl all over again. It's just weird. And it tickles." She said embarassed.

Bonnie chuckled amused.

"Oh, shut up. You say this just because you don't have someone to share it with…" Caroline said giggling, stopping as she realized her gaffe.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry 'Lena I didn't mean to…" She started all flushed.

"Don't worry." Elena sighed with a little smile. "Let's go." She then said as the elevator hit their floor.

Luckily they didn't touch the subject again as they stepped into the hotel's restaurant. It was a pretty luxurious SPA and there were every kind of comforts. At first both Elena and Bonnie were hesitant when Caroline proposed them to come, they wanted to pay for themselves, but Caroline pressed saying that it was all going to be on her since last week's had been her birthday.

They took their seats and orders, and then Bonnie spoke up.

"So..what did you want to tell us about Matt before? You two are still in contact?" She asked.

"Oh right, Matt." Elena said keeping the urge to roll her eyes.

He had called her a few days ago asking her to get back together, that he still loved her, that they never should have broke up and all the crap.

"He wants to get back together. He says he still loves me. Quite funny how he didn't seem to think so when he was dating Meredith." Elena chuckled.

"Right I still can't believe Matt has been with that bitch. She had been hell for us in highscool." Bonnie said with a scowl. "Anyways…what did you tell him?"

"No, of course!" Elena spat. "I'm not in love with him anymore. I don't even know how he came up with the idea." She said rolling her eyes as she sipped some wine.

"Well...obviously Matt isn't a choice anymore, but Elena you should start looking around and notice other guys." Caroline said softly. "One of Stefan's co-workers saw your picture and asked me if you were single. He wants to meet you. What do you say?"

"I say no." Elena said firmly. "I'm still not ready Caroline..please just leave it alone. I thought this was going to be just a relaxing girls week-end." She said with some frustration in her voice.

"She's right Care…" Bonnie said.

"Fine." Caroline sighed. "I just want you to be happy Elena, that's it." She said offering a small smile.

Elena returned her smile but thought about it. Was she ever going to be happy again? Happy as she had been with Damon even if for that little?

Caroline's phone started buzzing in her purse. "It's Stefan…sorry guys, just one minute." She excused herself.

She got up and went to the balcony of the restaurant.

"Hey." She said softly.

"Hey honey. How are you?" Stefan asked in a tired voice.

"All good…we're having fun and especially chilling a lot." She laughed. "Elena is smiling more often. I missed her smile so much. Although she said that she still isn't ready to date other guys…" She said.

"Don't worry about it...let's give her some time. Damon broke her heart, after all. A broken heart can take a lot of time to heal. I've been there…" He said softly, and suddenly Caroline felt a pain in her stomach thinking about Katherine. She immediatly shrugged it off.

"I hope you're not making up excuses for that brother of yours, Stefan. He's been a bastard with Elena." Caroline said angrily.

They found out that Damon and Elena had been together during the months while she and Stefan were gone when they came back from the trip. Stefan knew first..but for some strange reason, he didn't seem affected by it. Knowing how anxious he was especially about his brother being a player Caroline found it quite weird how he wasn't upset and now was even sort of defending him.

"Have you heard from him by the way?" She then asked.

Stefan sighed heavily. "No. It's been a while now…"

"It's his loss Stefan. He wanted to leave to live all fancy in New York...fine, let him be. But don't blame yourself on it because this is exactly what you're doing." She finally let out. "Anyway I have to go back to the girls. I'll call you tomorrow. I love you." Caroline said.

"I love you too." He said hanging up.

* * *

><p>Stefan was in his office trying to work but for some reasons, Damon popped up in his mind again. Probably his talk with Caroline did it.<p>

Three months had already passed. He wondered what he was doing, if he would ever change his mind and come back to spend his last months with them..what if he was already….no, he couldn't think about it. But Stefan knew it was something he was going to have to face sooner or later.

He had promised to Damon not to talk, to keep a poker face and lie to everyone about it…but all this situation was slowly killing him inside, too. It was becoming difficult. He was losing his brother and he couldn't even spend his last months with him. All this situation was even causing problems at home. He stayed at work as much as possibile on purpose to avoid Caroline and her knowing looks. He was spending less time with Jamie and he was stressing out.

Damon and his stubborness. With hesitation, Stefan took his phone and dialed Damon's new number. When he took off to New York he had turned off his phone and bought a crappy one to just interact with him once in a while. But obviously, he didn't reply.

He then thought about Elena...and how Damon claimed to love her and _begged_ him to leave especially her out of this. When Damon told him that he and Elena fell in love, Stefan wasn't thinking properly, too affected by the previous news of Damon dying.

Had he told him that under another circumstance, Stefan would have probably scolded him thinking he was lying or just messing with Elena. But when he saw the vulnerability and epsecially the _love_ in Damon's eyes while talking about Elena he surrendered. They really fell in love.

Damon told him that he was going to leave her, he was going to make her hate him so she would always remember him as the asshole who broke her heart. Damon said that it was going to be extremely difficult and that he didn't know himself if he would have been able to do it..but he had to give it a shot and try it.

He even gave him their mother's porcelain box with her necklace in it, and a letter for Elena. He had told him to give it to her in years...ten, fifteen, he said that he didn't care. First he wanted Elena to move on and live her life as happy as possible.

* * *

><p>As he heard the phone ringing for the bigillion time, Damon huffed heavily and took it.<p>

"Yeah." He said in a bored tone.

"Damon, what the hell? You haven't picked up the phone in two days. I got worried…" His friend Mason spat.

"Sorry about that. I've been sleeping and...sleeping. Oh, and drinking." He said.

"You're unbelievable, man." Mason sighed. "You should spend your last months on a tropical beach. Drinking martini dry and getting laid. Not in a hotel room brooding and depressing."

"Don't start again Mason." Damon said his jaw clentched.

He knew that his old friend Mason lived in New York and they hang out from time to time now that Damon was here. He had been living in Florida for a while but eventually moved to New York with his girlfriend Jules. Since they were the only friends that Damon had here and he intented to keep them only, Damon thought that he owed them the truth. They didn't know Stefan or other people in Mystic Falls so he was safe with his 'secret'. Even though Mason was a Lockwood he didn't have a great relationship with his relatives…something Damon could understand quite a lot.

Now though Damon just wanted to be left alone. Three months had already passed and as bad as it could sound…he just wanted to get over with it already. Dr. Hunt had told him about all the symptoms that would arrive at some point, and Damon could only wonder when they would indeed start to come. The only pain that he was having were the heavy headaches for spending too much time into his suite.

He booked a suite at _Four Seasons_ hotel, instead of taking an apartment. The room was pretty much an apartment since it had a kitchen, a master bedroom and bathroom, and a living room, but at least he had people cleaning it up for him.

"Come on man…don't tell me you don't want to get laid one last time." Mason chuckled.

At first Mason took the news pretty bad. He was upset and very sorry for Damon. Now though he got used to the idea and just…joked about it.

"Fuck you." Damon muttered hanging up.

He couldn't care less about getting laid. At least, not with some stupid random girl. The truth was that he missed _her_. He missed her everyday more and it had started to be his greatest pain.

He just wanted to see her again; one last time. Tell her to forgive him for telling her such hateful and orrendous things. He didn't mean them at all. He had tried to be as mean as possibile so she would hate him more.

The thought of Elena hating him was unbereable, but as he was still convinced, it was for her best. Hating him passionatley would mean getting over him faster and that was exaclty what he wanted.

When he first arrived here he just shrugg off all his nightmares, trying to enjoy the city and 'live' what he had to live. But then days, weeks, started passing and he fitted here a little less everyday. It wasn't where he belonged…as ridiculous as it sounded because he had always despised Mystic Falls for some things, it was right where he had to be. With his Elena. After he left her saying her all those things, he had cried in his room for an hour doing the best of him to take it all back and just tell her the truth. He had felt like such a girl. Damon Salvatore didn't do crying.

All the things that came out of his mouth...the look in her face. The hurt, the disappointment..he was pretty sure he had even seen a glint of hate in her eyes in the end. Elena, his baby girl…he wondered what she was doing right now. Did she miss him? Could she ever be able to forgive him?

He took a quick shower and then ordered room service. He put on a bathrobe and went answering the door when they knocked.

He opened the door and saw that it was Vanessa, the usual waiter that brought him his dinner's.

He saw her eyeing him with lust for a second and smirked a little. Even while dying he still had his charm. He and Vanessa had become pratically almost friends since this 'thing' was going one for more than three months…and even though he could see that she liked him, he had never returned her advances.

"Hello Damon." She said grinning.

"Hi Vanessa. Come in." He said opening the door a little.

She left the carriage with his dinner in the middle of the room and got closer to him.

"How are you feeling today?" She asked putting her hand on his forehead.

As if she cared if he had fever or not. "You seem a little hot…" She whispered.

"Actually, I feel fine." He said stepping out of her grasp.

She took his arm again and locked eyes with him.

"Why don't you let me take care of you?" She said grinning mischeviously.

Before he knew it she had him pressed up all over her, attacking his mouth roughly. He tried to back off but she pushed him on the bed sitting on top of him.

"What the hell…" Damon spat as she opened his bathrobe and started kissing his chest.

He fought her at first, but then he closed his eyes and started imagining Elena. Elena kissing him. Elena laughing. Elena calling his name. He smiled unconciously and Vanessa took it as an invitation.

She took off his bathrobe completely, but when she was about to press her hand on his hard member Damon's eyes immediatly snapped open as realization took him. Fuck. What the fuck he was doing?

"Stop!" He said abruptly, suddenly getting up and quickly putting his bathrobe back on.

"Excuse me?" She said in disbelief standing up and putting her hands on her hips. "You spend all your days here Damon, I wanted to do something nice for you…and you push me away like this? I like you. Why don't you just let me take care of you for a while…" She said stepping closer again.

He'd had enough. "No one asked you to." He said raising an eyebrow.

"But I thought you liked me too." She pressed.

"I…no. Look Vanessa I'm sorry even if I gave you the wrong idea by letting you take room service here almost everyday. But I don't like you...not that way." He said. "I don't think I will ever like another woman that way…" He murmured.

She looked slightly hurt but he really didn't care at the moment. He just wanted to be left alone. _Al-one_. Was that so hard for people to understand? He couldn't care less if it sounded desperate or crazy, but he didn't care about living the last months of his life without the love of it with him.

He was content even with himself alone and memories of him and Elena. That's it. That was all he wanted.

"Whatever you say, Damon." She said quietly stepping out of the room.

Finally, Damon thought. Almost being that intimate with Vanessa…it actually appalled him. From the moment he met Elena and fell in love with her, he knew no woman was going to do it for him. No one but his Elena.

He took his old phone and turned it on quickly. He needed his Elena fix badly, so he turned it on and started watching all the pictures of them together or the ones he had taken of her. His heart skipped a beat just seeing her on a screen. So beautiful, so perfect, so happy.

He then saw that there was a video and as he pressed the button to make it start. Unconscious tears started forming in his eyes. Damn it. What was wrong with him and all this crying? But as he heard Elena's voice and laugh in the video he couldn't help but let those few tears escape. She was with Jamie and Damon was filming them while they were baking a cake and were making a mess. He was miserable without Elena. It took everything in his power not to call her, so he quickly turned off the phone once again.

He missed Jamie, too. And Stefan. Damon just hoped all this hell was going to end soon.

* * *

><p>"This week-end has been so good, really. I love you guys." Elena said as she embraced Bonnie and Caroline.<p>

They all 'awed' a little and Bonnie stepped into her car again.

"You sure you're okay? If you want you can always come to my house 'Lena..you know there are no problems." Bonnie offered.

"Don't worry Bon, but I think I'm gonna stay here for the night. Besides I wanted to spend some time with Jamie anyways." She said.

Bonnie drove them to Stefan and Caroline's house, and Caroline proposed to Elena if she wanted to spend the night there since Stefan always came back from work late and she didn't want to be alone.

After Damon left, Elena had been living with Bonnie, who inherited her grandmother's house after she died.

"Thank you for staying, Elena." Caroline said as they stepped in. "I don't know why but I feel like Stefan and I are growing apart..it's like he's pushing me away and I don't know why…" She said biting her trembling bottom lip.

"Oh, Care." Elena said hugging her. "It's gonna be alright you'll see. Maybe he's just stressed for work and stuff you know." She tried to reassure her.

"I could be pregnant Elena…" Caroline whispered.

"What?" Elena gasped.

They both sat on the couch as Caroline started freaking out and crying a little.

"Yes. My period skipped this month and I just didn't want to freak Stefan's out but now thinking that he might leave me…" She said taking her head in her hands and shaking it.

Luckily Jamie was asleep and the nanny who was watching him had already left.

"Don't say that, Care. You don't know. You two are just going through a hard moment…just talk to him." Elena said offering her an encouraging smile.

"Thank you." Caroline smiled. "I should be the one comforting you but here I am whining." She said.

"You're my friend. If you're hurting of course I want to help you." Elena said squeezing her hands.

Caroline nodded hesitantly. "Can you do me a favor? Can you go into my room and take some pills for me? I usually get them to calm down." She said with a weak smile.

When Elena eyed her strangely Caroline rolled her eyes.

"It's not what you think. The doctor gave them to me..it's fine. And _legal._" She said with a roll of eyes.

"Okay…" Elena chuckled. "Where are they?" She asked.

"Uhm I don't remember now it's a while that I'm not taking them…in one of the drawers I guess." She said casually. "In the meantime I'm gonna make some hot chocolate, okay?"

Elena nodded and went into her and Stefan's bedroom. Truth be told she felt a little embarassed, it was awkward to go search into Caroline and her boyfriend's drawers. It made her seem nosy. But if Caroline didn't have a problem with it then she didn't mind.

She searched into both the nighstands but found nothing. Maybe she didn't have those pills anymore but she didn't remember?

She decided to give it a last shot and search through one of the most hidden drawers. Maybe Caroline had put them in there so even if Jamie went into their bedroom searching for something to play with they didn't risk letting him found them.

Elena saw a little box and thought about opening it. Maybe they were inside of it.

She frowned as she opened the little porcelain box. She wasn't a nosy tipe, but if she saw her name written on the envelope of a letter then it did make her curious. She noticed that on top of the letter there was a beautiful necklace and frowned even deeply. What the hell?

Maybe she wasn't the target of the letter, but it seemed unlikely. As far as she knew Stefan and Caroline only knew her as Elena.

She opened it carefully just in case and she couldn't believe what she saw. Her eyes widened in surprise and she fell on the ground with the letter in her hands. The more she read it, the more her eyes got watery.

At one point she had to take it away because she couldn't read it anymore. It was from Damon. He had wrote it before leaving and he wrote things that just weren't making sense to her. It was better for her if he left her? She would have hated him after reading the letter? And what was the part about him dying? No no _no_. This was one hell of a mistake. It couldn't be true. Not Damon. Not _her_ Damon.

As she finished to read it her eyes were blurry as tears started streaming down her face. She started sobbing hard and her face started hurting after a while because the sobs and the tears just wouldn't stop.

"No…no….Damon.…" She said in between sobs.

"Elena did you…" Caroline was saying as she took in the scene. "Oh my god Elena…are you okay?" She asked concerned kneeling down beside her.

"Did you know?" Elena asked sobbing. She wanted to raise her voice and yell at Caroline but her sobs wouldn't let her. "Did you know that Damon was dying Caroline? Just answer the damn question!" She managed to yell.

Caroline's eyes widened in surprise and Elena could see that it was real.

"What?" She whispered. "What are you talking about?"

"Of this Caroline! Of this letter that Stefan kept from me all this time!" She spat angrily getting up.

Caroline quickly took the letter and as she started reading her eyes got a little watery too. "No Elena you have to believe me I didn't know anything about this." She said shaking her head furiously.

Just then they heard the front door slamming and Elena grew furious. _Mad_. She narrowed her eyes and hurried to the living room facing Stefan.

Her face was wet with tears and she was having trouble breathing but her anger was too much to leave it like that.

"Elena…" Stefan said confused as he took off his coat.

"I can't believe this." She whispered harshly. "I can't believe you did this to me! To Damon! Why didn't you tell me he was dying? _WHY_?" She screamed.

Stefan flinched. "Elena you have to understand that…" He was trying to say.

"NO! NO! NO!" She screamed even louder.

"What's happening?" Jamie's tiny voice said from the door of his bedroom.

In that moment though Elena wasn't focused, and she didn't care if she was making a scene and waking up half of the people in the building.

Caroline was upset herself and Elena could see it but she quickly took Jamie bringing him in his room again.

Her body started shaking as she sobbed again. "Is he….is he dead, Stefan?" She managed to croak out.

"I don't know…no. They would have..they would have called if that was the case." He said in a flat tone, his hands on his hips.

Whatever secret he and Damon were sharing she could see that Stefan had surrendered.

"Oh my god…what does he have? Why did he just leave?" She cried out. "Tell me the truth Stefan. I want the whole truth." She said firmly.

"It's a common disease in our family. Damon has a flaw at his heart and he just found out three months ago…it's killing him slowly. There is no cure and he thought that leaving everything and everyone behind was easier. Especially you…he loves you Elena. He didn't want you to live with that pain. He preferred you hating him than knowing that he was dying. He had from three to six months to live." Stefan said quietly staring ahead of him with a blank expression.

Elena started shaking her head furiously as she kept saying 'no'. Her eyes were wide and she was breathing heavily.

She put a hand on her heart and tried to inhale deeply. "I…..oh my god how could he….it's Damon we're talking about he can't….he can't die he can't leave me oh my god…." She said as she started crying hysterically. "Oh my god I can't breathe." She cried.

"Elena calm down please! Stay calm." Stefan said concerned.

Caroline came in the room and took in the scene.

Elena felt like something was blocking her throat and she couldn't think or breathe properly. Her face was getting pale.

She ran to the bathroom and thought that she was going to throw up but nothing came out. She was having a panic attack.

She felt someone falling on the ground near her as Caroline encircled her waist with her arms whispering soothing words.

"Ssshhh…Elena calm down…please.." She whispered but Elena could hear she was upset too.

"She's having a panic attack." She told Stefan who was at the door of the bathroom.

"Oh god. It's all my fault…I should have never agreed to that stupid idea of his." Stefan said passing his hands through his hair.

"All this time…all this time and I knew nothing. I could have been with him, I could have supported him. _Loved_ him." Elena said numbly her voice croaky.

"I know…" Caroline whispered into her ear. "But this is not your fault Elena."

"I knew he couldn't leave me like that..he's Damon. He's _my_ Damon and he loves me now I understand why he did what he did." She said shaking her head as a sad little smile curled her lips. "I should have known better..."

"What if he's...what if he's dead Caroline? What if I've already lost him forever?" She whispered looking at Caroline with wide eyes.

"My poor Damon." She said crying out again.

Elena kept crying and saying non sense words as Caroline rocked her back and fort. Her eyes were puffy and read, her face white as a dead body and she was tired, too tired, from all the crying and screaming.

They all sat in the kitchen as Stefan poured some tea and handed it to her. She took it without saying anything.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I never should have let him go. The truth is that at the beginning I couldn't believe this myself...I…the idea of losing my brother was unbereable. I was in denial." He said.

"I have to find him. I have to go to New York or wherever he is and find him. I want to take him home and love him until the last day God gives to us." She said, this time firmly.

She sat up and both Stefan and Caroline looked at her worriedly.

"Elena it's almost 6 am..why don't you rest a little, you need it. If you want to go, you can wait a few hours. You had a panic attack earlier." Caroline said serious.

"I've already waited too much." She said with a firm nod.

She hurried over the living room and threw her jacket on, leaving quickly.

No matter what, at all costs, he was coming back to her.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Here we go with another chappie! :) Hope you enjoy it. **

**Thank you so much for all your great reviews and support guys. They're actually the best thing about it haha, so keep them coming please :P**

**To reply to one of your questions: I can't tell you if Damon is going to die, sorry..lol :( But there are definitely much more chappies coming so stay tuned!  
><strong>

***It's not gonna matter in this chapter - but I just wanted to say that the necklace that Damon wanted to give Elena no longer has an emerald as a stone..I thought amber is still a great stone but it actually fits better with Elena's eyes? What do you think?**

**Thank you again, and please review!**

* * *

><p><em>"Stef." Damon said as he held the door of the Boarding House open.<em>

_Stefan immediatly glared at him with worry and anxiety. Damon could see his pale face and tired eyes, he probably hadn't slept at all during the flight. _

_How was he going to tell him? Just thinking about it, seemed much easier. But with his baby bro standing in front of him with an expectant look...it was hell._

_"Damon? What the hell happened?" He asked as he stepped in._

_"Lower your voice. Jamie and Elena are sleeping." He said, gesturing to him to go into the living room._

_Damon poured himself a glass of bourbon, filling one for Stefan too._

_"Is this really the time to drink Damon, seriously? It's 5 in the morning and I'm still worried as hell! You pratically made me run here!" Stefan whispered loudly._

_"Believe me...you're going to need this." Damon said with a pointed look, handing him the glass._

_Stefan was already sitting on the couch, and Damon reclutantly joined him._

_"First of all, don't yell at me for what I'm going to say. It just happened, and besides that's not the point of the conversation. Not entirely, at least..." He said as he took a sip from his drink._

_Stefan gave him a confused expression and sighed. "Talk Damon." He said in a bored tone._

_"I'm with Elena." He said casually._

_Stefan's eyes widened as he almost chocked on his drink. "Say what?" He spat. "Dear god Damon, I told you. I told you not to mess around with Elena. You could have whoever you want and you just go and seduce Elena? Caroline is never going to forgive you." _

_Damon's whole face immediatly hardened as he harshly placed his glass on the table_.

_"Listen up, Stefan. First of all I couldn't give a fuck about what Caroline forgives or not; and you also need to give me more credit than that and get down from that damn pedestal. What do you think, that just because I didn't settle down like you did I'm not allowed to fall in love with someone now? With Elena? I'm not a heartless asshole as you may think, Stefan. I thought you knew better after all we've been through together." He said as he took his glass again and drank it all in one gulp._

_"I don't think you're heartless Damon. I don't even think you're an asshole, at least when you want to. But seriously what should I expect? You've been a womanizer for all your life, and you never told me...you never told me you wanted to fall in love. I know what you think about these things." He said in a softer tone._

_"I love her." He suddenly said, making Stefan's surprised eyes snap in his direction again. "You don't even know how much that girl means to me. She's everything to me, she's the best thing that's ever happened in my life and I would never hurt her. Not on purpose..." He said, his eyes saddening saying those last words._

_"I'm not following you. What do you mean? Did you do something?" Stefan asked._

_"Stef..." Damon started. "I went to Dr. Hunt yesterday. I was not feeling well and I made the test..." He said but couldn't quite find the words to tell Stefan._

_When he saw understanding taking in Stefan's face, his heart broke a little. It was a defeated look. Full of hurt and disbelief._

_"No.." Stefan whispered._

_"He told me there's nothing to do. He gave me from three to six months to live." He said bluntly, not finding a less abrupt way to tell him.  
><em>

_He had never been good at words. Especially these sad and depressing speeches. _

_"No." Stefan said, this time more firmly. "He's wrong Damon, he's obviously wrong and we'll find a cure. Something." He said, his eyes full of desperation._

_"Stefan.." Damon shook his head. "We just have to accept it. It's not like we didn't know that there was a possibility. We've seen this happening before."_

_"Father has it but he's still here, he's still alive, so there is a cure! Damon you can live!" Stefan said stepping in front of him, shaking his shoulders._

_"There are stages of this desease." He said, his eyes full of sorrow. "And I can't do anything about it. Please Stefan don't make it harder, it's already enough." He said snorting. _

_His brother was being delusional and that was the last thing he needed at the moment.  
><em>

_"Oh my god.." Stefan whispered, falling on the couch and taking his head in his hands. "What am I going to do? And Jamie, what the hell am I going to say to him?" He said shaking his head._

_"I already thought about it. I know how I want to deal witht the situation." He said. He took a box that was on the table and held it firmly._

_Stefan shaked his head in confusion. "I-I don't understand..."_

_"Listen to me, Stefan." Damon said putting his hands on his shoulders. "You have to be strong. I need you to be strong, okay? Do it for me. This is all I'm asking. You have to give this to Elena. But not now, I don't want her to have it now. Hide it and give it to her when she's ready. Ten, twenty, thirty years...I don't care. Inside there's a letter and one of mom's necklaces. I want Elena to have them. But only when she'll be ready to have them." He said firmly._

_"Damon..." _

_"I want to leave. I don't know where I'll go. New York, probably. I just...there aren't many people who I care about in this world, but if I can protect those few, it would mean the world to mean. You're the only one who knows the truth and I want you to keep it this way for a long time, are we clear?"_

_"I can't do this. I can't do this Damon you're asking me too much. What about father? Yeah he's an asshole but he asks about you from time to time. And Caroline and Jamie? Elena!" Stefan tried to make him reason. "You just can't leave us behind. I..I don't want you to go away when you need us the most. Please Damon don't do this." He shook his head desperately._

_"I need to do this Stef. I'm doing this especially for Elena. She's been through hell during her whole life..dealing with this..it would destroy her. I can't let that happen. I want her to be happy. I want her to forget about me eventually and move on. I owe her that. It will be easier for her to let it go if she thinks about me as the one who broke her heart, and not as the man she loved who died on her. I'm not asking you to do this, I'm demanding you. You owe me at least this."_

_He saw acceptance crossing Stefan's face as he nodded numbly. _

_"Don't pout, broody. You'll just get rid of your pain in the ass brother." He said._

_"This is not funny Damon damn it." Stefan said through clentched teeth._

_"I know." He said quietly. "I'll leave in a week. Just..I just need some time to organize things. Tomorrow I'll deal with the will." He said._

_"Remember to hide this. Don't let Blondie find this." He said serious, handing him the box._

_"Oh..and this is for you. I was looking through some stuff earlier and I came across these." He said as he gave him another little box full of pictures. "Look how chubby you were." Damon said smirking._

_"I wasn't." Stefan remarked offended. "And look who's talking..you were already a smart ass when you were little. Mom always had to punish you, you were unbelievable." He shook his head amused._

_"Yeah." Damon said smiling fondly._

_Stefan smiled sadly as he got closer to his brother. Damon eyed him strangely and was surprised when Stefan hugged him close. He wasn't so used to these display of affections, especially from Stefan. They had never been like that. He had never been like that._

_"I love you big brother." Stefan's voice was filled with emotion as he whispered it._

_"I love you too Stef." He said hesitantly patting his brother's shoulders._

* * *

><p>"Elena! Wait!" Stefan shouted as he chased her out of his apartment.<p>

She was walking quickly, going to take a bus to get at Bonnie's house and pack a few things. She rolled her eyes and turned around annoyed by Stefan's persistence. She was going and she was going _now_.

"Stefan, I already told you that I'm not going to wait." She said in a firm voice.

He looked up at her and smiled sadly.

"I know. I'm not trying to stop you, I just want to give you a ride to the airport." He said.

She eyed him for a moment but then nodded. "Okay...thank you. But first I have to go at Bonnie's and pack a few things up."

"Sure." He nodded as they headed towards his car.

As Stefan drove, they passed in front of the Boarding House and Elena's heart clenched tightly. There was where everything had began. Where she met and fell in love with _him_.

She remembered how anxious she was about meeting Stefan's older brother, the so-called player Damon Salvatore and all the other terms that people liked to gave him. How he'd opened that door and her knees almost gave up at his sight. She had immediatly thought that he was the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen. He'd been sweet and nice to her since the first moment and she quickly understood that people just blabed about him and his being. They didn't know the first thing about him, he just showed them what he wanted to or what they expected him to be. He just needed someone believing in him.

Elena actually felt honored about Damon opening up to her. Letting his walls down and putting his trust on her and her only. Because once you had Damon's love, it was something you wold hold on to forever. He loved wholly and devotedly.

She was still raging inside…why didn't he tell her? Why did he just leave her? She couldn't imagine her life without him, at least if he had let her know she would have spent all her time loving him.

After spending all the night crying her heart out, now Elena had just anger and regret inside of her. If she got to New York too late…she would never forgive herself for that.

They arrived at Bonnie's a few minutes later and Elena told Stefan to wait in the car. Luckily she had the spare keys so she hopefully wouldn't wake Bonnie up. After all, it was still just 6:30 am, and honestly she didn't have the time and the patience to explain everything to Bonnie.

She packed the essential in a little bag and quickly closed it. As she was about to close her drawer she found something that she didn't notice had been between her clothes all this time. Her eyes got a little watery and a few tears escaped. Again. Damn it Elena, keep it together she thought.

It was Damon's sweatshirt. The very sweatshirt that she used to put on always when she was at the Boarding House. It had pratically become hers. She smiled sadly and inhaled its scent. It still smelled of Damon and she had to do everything in her power not to burst into tears. It was his scent. So familiar, so intoxicating, so good…it was _home_.

She quickly kissed it and decided to throw it on her instead of the current one that she was wearing. It was comfy and smooth and she snuggled in it, knowing that she had something of his to hold on to for the whole time.

She took her bag and quietly headed out of the house. Stefan was still waiting inside the car as he seemed thoughtful.

"I'm sorry." He just said as she stepped in.

When she didn't reply, he spoke again.

"I'm sorry I kept you from him all this time...I was the only one who knew and I shouldn't have kept it a secret. I shouldn't have left him living so miserably." He said desperately.

Elena sighed heavily. "I get it Stefan. Damon can be difficult sometimes and I know he has probably convinced you that it was for the best. He wants people to believe that he's tough and that he can survive all alone…but the truth is that he's wrong. He needs people who loves him and he loves like everyone else. He's fragile. He just hates to admit it." She said shaking her head.

Stefan nodded and they drove to the airport in complete silence, both of them just lost in their thoughts.

"You sure you're okay from here?" Stefan asked as he dropped her off.

"I think I can manage, don't worry." She said chuckling sadly.

She didn't know why, but in that moment she felt the urge to hug Stefan and tell him that he would have seen his brother again. That they would have seen him again. After all Stefan had carried all the pressure and pain all by himself for three months. He needed at least some support.

She hugged him and after the pure surprise on his face, he hugged her back.

"I'll get him back. I'll go there and no matter how much time we've left, I will love him like we have no tomorrow. But I'll bring him back to you…okay?" She said smiling tentatively.

"Okay." He whispered quietly.

She gave him one last smile and got out of the car taking her bag.

It was cold and there were only a few people heading inside and outside of the airport. Elena asked for the first ticket and luckily the first flight available to New York was in two hours.

Thinking about Damon doing the same thing three months ago but all alone..it broke her heart. He didn't have to be alone, he wasn't alone. Of course it would have been painful for her to stand, but no matter what, she was going to love him forever.

There was no 'moving on'. Moving on..such an easy word to say, Elena thought. Moving on is hard and sometimes impossible and she knew it by her own experience.

When she thought about their break-up, or at least what Damon wanted her to believe, it still hurt. The words he had said hurt her deeply and her heart still wretched thinking about them…but hopefully none of them were real. Hopefully he still loved her just how much she loved him. Otherwise, him not loving her back anymore, would have devastated her.

For the next two hours she just chilled and had breakfast at Starbucks, since food on the flight was going to suck. She planned on sleeping a little once on it because she was indeed really tired.

Luckily the boarding started soon. She didn't want any delays. She wanted to be there as soon as possible, because anxiety was consuming her.

As she took her seat, Elena thought about how much she had always loved the idea of going to New York, how much the city always inspired her and gave her good vibes. Who knew that she was going to go under these circumstances…

Someone's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Excuse me, miss?" A man's voice called.

"Yes?"

"That's my seat, actually." He said with a smile.

"Oh..you're right, I'm sorry. I just didn't see anyone and thought that I could use it. I don't really fly often and being near the window kind of helps me." She said politely as she stood up to seat in the middle.

"Don't worry, I was just teasing you. I'll take the one in the middle." He said as he chuckled a little.

"Oh." Elena said confused as she sat down again, not really in the mood for a talk.

"So..are you from New York? Or you're just visiting?" He asked.

"No it's just..a trip. I live here in Mystic Falls." She said quickly.

She thought that she could use some sleep but here she was caught in a random conversation with a stranger. The fact that he kept his eyes on her all the time didn't help.

"I see..I happen to come here once in a while for business. Such a nice place." He said.

She nodded smiling tightly as she hoped that he would just shut up. He was bugging her.

He kept talking when she didn't even start the conversation or wanted it to go on.

"I'm Josh, by the way." He said with a charming smile.

"Elena." She said shaking his hand.

He wasn't that bad, after all. He seemed polite and good looking. Elena couldn't help but wonder if her finding him bothering was just because the thought of another man hitting on her was annoying, almost unbereable. She didn't want to think about it, she didn't want it period. Not now, not in thirty years. She just wanted Damon and now life was taking him away from her. Why the people she loved always ended up dying, or leaving her? Was she cursed or something?

But maybe they were wrong, maybe they were wrong about Damon and they could find a cure and keep him here. There _had_ to be something to do. She couldn't let him go without fighting. He was her love, how could she ever live in a world where he didn't exist?

Her eyes started getting a little blurry and she saw that Josh eyed her strangely and put his earphones on. Maybe he just took the hint.

She probably justt seemed a depressed and broody person, but she didn't care. She was probably going to be like that for a very long time now.

She closed her eyes and demanded to her mind to relax, at least just for a little. She shut every thought off and quickly drifted to a much needed rest.

When she woke up she immediatly looked out of the window but saw nothing besides clouds and the sky. She huffed quietly and glanced at her clock, noticing that it was still 10 am. She had been asleep for not even an hour and the flight was four or five hours.

She saw that John, or Josh, she didn't quite remember his name fell asleep and thanked god.

She wondered how Damon would react seeing another man flirting with her and she chuckled softly. She remembered how jealous he had been of Elijah...but she had found his jealousy adorable. He always told her that he wasn't but she knew better.

When she and Damon broke-up, of course the first things that her friends did was comforting her, but even reminding her of the few basic rules; as in delete his number, don't think about him, he's worthless, delete your pictures with him and all the rest.

She did it, but she didn't tell anyone that she had indeed kept one of their pictures. It was their favorite one, and for some reasons she hadn't been able to just delete it like that. She had never actually looked at it again, but just knowing that she still had it…it was important to her.

It was a picture taken with her Iphone. They were laying on the bed and Damon was half on top of her, biting her cheek playfully as she laughed as an idiot and they both looked into the screen. It was a little messy because they were moving and it was a self-shot, but their eyes were so happy in that picture, genuine happiness. Seeing his ocean blue eyes again sent a chill down her spine as she softly caressed the screen.

"Elena?" Josh's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"You want something to drink? The hostess is here." He said.

She didn't even notice how absorbed in her thoughts she'd been until she saw the hostess's expectant look.

"I'll take some coke, please." She said.

The hostess handed it to her and moved on. She wasn't a sucker for coffee, so when she could Elena always went for coke.

She then thought about was Stefan told her; Damon was at a Four Seasons hotel, unfortunately though he didn't know which one so Elena had to guess herself. She found amusing and quite predictable how Damon always opted for the best choice.

"You're from New York, right?" She found herself asking Josh.

"Yes. I told you before." He said with a nod, smiling.

"Well…in your opinion, what's the best Four Seasons hotel in there? It's really important." She said with a tight smile.

He seemed thoughtful for a few moments. "Definitely the one on Fifth Avenue. Its suites are pratically apartments." He said.

"I see..thank you." She said thoughtful.

If Josh who was from New York indeed confirmed her that, she had no doubts. Damon had to be there. And even if he wasn't, she would have searched for him in every other hotel of the damn city.

"Why are you asking me that? Do you want to go there?" He asked.

"I was just curious." She quickly lied. "I just wanted to know the best places to visit, even if they're just hotels, you know." She shrugged.

"Oh.." He said. "I can always give you a tour of the city, if you want to." He said with a mischevious glim in his eyes.

Oh, lord. She wasn't good at rejecting especially if you had to have that person near you for the next four hours. How did she get herself into this? Most of all didn't he already take the hint? He was probably a die-hard.

"Look...I really appreciate your offer, but I'm not going to New York to just look around the city. It's something personal that I just..can't talk about. Sorry." She said.

He seemed disappointed. "I understand. Take this anyway..just in case." He said handing her a little piece of paper.

Not wanting to discuss about it anymore Elena quickly took it and put it in her bag.

The rest of the flight was pretty quiet as she napped a little bit more and watched a movie.

When they landed to New York, her palms were actually sweating. She was there. Finally after three months she was in the same city as his, so close to him already. She knew that another emotional moment was coming but she kept it together as much as she could.

Luckily she was in one of the first rows so she quickly took her bag and stepped outside. She still couldn't believe it was real but she kept walking and got out of the bulding to take a taxi as soon as possible.

Needless to say, it almost seemed a jungle. It was New York, of course there was going to be such a mess. To make things even worst, it was raining like hell and it was really cold.

She finally managed to take a taxi but in the meantime she took a lot of water and was soaked from tip to toe.

"Where to?" The driver asked.

"Four Seasons hotel. The one on fifth avenue." She said as she shivered a little and wrapped her arms around herself.

She didn't even have the strenght or the desire to look out of the window and enjoy the city a little. The closer they got, the more anxious she was. Her heart started beating faster knowing that she would see him in hours. _Minutes_. Or at least, she hoped so.

In twenty minutes they were there and Elena was mesmerized by the building and the beautiful surroundings. Even from the outside, you could see how luxurious it was.

She quickly paid the driver and took her bag, running inside trying not to catch other rain. She noticed all the classy and fancy people and felt quite uncomfortable in her casual and very soaked mise. At the moment though she couldn't care less. Now she just had to make up an excuse to know Damon's room number and sneak in.

"Hello." She smiled warmly as she reached the reception.

"Hello there. How can I help you?" The girl at the desk asked with a smile.

"I'm…I'm here to see one of your clients. Damon Salvatore." She said, her voice trembling a little when she said his name. When she saw the girl giving her a confused look she spoke again. "It's a surprise." She explained.

"I'm sorry miss, but before giving you that kind of information, I'd have to ask Mr. Salvatore's approval. Your name?" She said as she help up the phone.

Damn it. She smiled politely again.

"Look…please." She sighed defeated. "I'm not a serial killer or something. I even know his brother, Stefan. Please?" She pratically begged.

"Alright." The other woman sighed, slightly amused. "Mr. Salvatore is in room 500. He took our best suite." She said.

Elena almost rolled her eyes. So typical of Damon.

"Thank you." She grinned as she quickly went to the elevator.

She couldn't believe this was really happening. Just like when she was nervous, her stomach was clentched together and she was feeling the terribile need to throw up from how anxious she was. Inside the elevator she started taking deep breaths, telling herself to cool down.

She didn't know how she would have handled the situation, or if she would have yelled at him for not telling her, or just break down. The only thing she knew was that she was finally going to see him again.

* * *

><p>As he stepped out of the shower and threw only a pair of jeans on, Damon decided that today he was going to finally get out of this room after five days. He was losing it, and if he didn't distract himself a little, he was probably going to take the first flight for Mystic Falls.<p>

When he slept almost all the day, or just got drunk, he could manage not to think about her. Somehow the thought of her hurt less and the fact that he was dying was becoming less unbereable to stand. After all, now he had nothing left to lose.

But in moments like this when he was completely alone..he missed her too much. He missed what they had and how he wasn't going to see her or being able to touch her again.

His fists clentched together as he suddenly hit the mirror of the bathroom breaking most of it. His hand started bleeding a little and he almost laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of the situation.

What was what they said? Breaking a mirror brought seven years of bad luck? At this point he would have gladly taken those seven years if he could.

To make things worst the feeling of missing Elena became deeper, almost unbereable. It was like he was feeling her presence, as if she was so close to him and yet he couldn't see her. Indeed, he was losing it, he thought.

He'd even broken a mirror, for god's sake. Not like he cared, but he had to come up with some lame excuse to tell. He put his hand under the cold water to wash away the blood. As the water kept streaming, he heard a knock on the door. He rolled his eyes and decided to ignore it but when they got louder he huffed in frustration and went to open it.

Before he could do it though, his body completely froze and his eyes widened at the voice he heard. No…it couldn't be. He was allucinating or something.

"Damon…I know you're in there. Open up." She sighed a little annoyed, though he could hear the emotion in her voice.

Just stop. He couldn't hear anything because this wasn't real, it couldn't be.

He knew he couldn't trust Stefan, that sooner or later that little fucker would have chickened out and spill everything to everyone.

She knocked louder.

"Damon please. I'm freezing." She said almost desperately.

As the overprotective side of him pratically possessed him, he went opening the door without even thinking.

Part of him thought that he was dreaming, that once he opened the door she wouldn't be there anymore…but as he secretly hoped, she was there.

After three months of longing finally he got to see her beautiful big doe eyes looking up at him again. She was so perfect.

She looked up at him with so many emotions that in that moment he couldn't actually focus. His heart was beating like a drum.

"'Lena." He whispered with a smile of disbelief on his face.

"Damon." She sobbed as she threw herself at him.

She pratically threw herself up in his arms, holding on to his neck like a lifeline. Her legs were wrapped around his waist and she started sobbing hard in the crook of his neck.

"I hate you so much right now! Why didn't you tell me! You lied to me!" She started sobbing harder, her words muffled as she kept buring her face in his neck. "How could you leave me like that, I would have been with you no matter what Damon and you know it." She almost screamed.

No longer able to cover his own emotions, he embraced her back, holding her tight against his body. He hated hearing her crying, it made him feel even more guilty and it was just too much to take in.

She was sobbing so hard that he wondered if she was having trouble breathing.

"Ssshhh..." He soothed her, softly caressing her hair. "I know you have every right to be mad at me but please Elena calm down…" He whispered in her ear, fearing of having an emotional breakdown himself at moments.

It was all just so surreal. For the past three months he had been missing her like crazy, secretly hoping to see her one last time, and now here she was in his arms.

"No! I'm not going to calm down okay!" She started protesting as she hit his back.

"Okay...I think I deserved that." He chuckled a little.

"Don't you dare laugh Damon."

"Sorry." He said quietly as he held her closer and placed his head on her shoulder.

Elena's breathing eventually softened, as she just cried quietly holding on to him for dear life. He kept telling her soothing words as he rocked her back and fort.

Through all the emotional moment going on he didn't notice Elena being completely soaked. With the cold weather she had to warm up immediatly.

"You're all soaked. Go take a hot shower or a bath and we'll talk later, alright?" He said as he put her down, caressing her cheek hesitantly.

Luckily she didn't flinch or backed away, but she still gave him a hard look and shook her head firmly.

He sighed. "Come on now Elena, this is not the moment to be stubborn." He said.

"Fine." She said harshly as she took her mini-suitcase and stepped into the barhtoom.

A gasped escaped her mouth as she entered. Oh, right…the mirror.

"What happened in there? Are you okay?" She asked concerned.

"I just…lost it a little. No big deal, it's fine." He said looking away.

"No it's not fine Damon. How could it be? You've been living miserably and alone all these months, of course you're losing it." She said stepping closer. "Look at this hand.." She said to herself, shaking her head. She took his hand into hers and squeezed it softly.

"You should have told me." She whispered as her eyes filled up with emotion again. She took his hand to her mouth and kissed it softly. "You know I'd do anything for you."

He wanted to say something, anything, but as he opened his mouth nothing came out. "We will talk about it later...now though get dry please." He said squeezing her hand back.

"Okay." She said softly.

She gave him a smile and kissed him on the lips hesitantly. She was still his. She was kissing him, and he could feel her love. Even if he had hurt her and things between them were going to change without coming back; the love and the need that he felt were the same of when he'd last kissed her.

Not being able to resist her, he gently grabbed her head with his hands and deepened the kiss, kissing her passionately until they both needed to catch their breaths. He rested his forehead against hers as she gave him another quick peck on the lips.

"I've missed you." She said blinking back her tears.

"I've missed you too, baby girl." He said.

Hearing the pet-name that he used to gave her melted her heart and she started crying again. This time though more in joy.

"I'm sorry it's just I've been such a mess these last couple of days. All I did was crying." She said laughing between her sobs.

He chuckled a little kissing the tears away.

"Come here." He said mocking an 'aw' and taking her in his arms again.

"Don't mock me." She pouted lightly punching him.

He smirked and then she immediatly recognized her Damon. He showered her face with kisses as she just melted in his arms purring happily.

Without even realizing it they were already in the bedroom, still kissing the hell out of each other. It was rough, it was longing and need. They both _needed_ each other.

"Your shower?" He asked in a husky voice.

"You can warm me up." She said mischeviously.

"Are you sure?" He said, and she could see the vulnerability in his eyes.

He had the face of a boy whose mother told him that he could eat a candy before dinner.

She had always known that this was going to be a huge step for them. Making love to someone bonded you with that person deeply, the connection that you shared would be stronger and she couldn't wait to experience that with Damon.

The one that from now on would always be the only one able to share that connection with her.

If when they were still back in Mystic Falls a physical relationship scared her because of her insecurities, now she only craved it more than anything. She needed it. She wanted to feel everything of him, she wanted to know what was like being loved by Damon Salvatore.

"I'm sure." She whispered nodding, kissing him lightly.

He smiled at her, a smile full of adoration, and kept kissing her passionately. She bounced on the bed with him on top of her.

"Isn't this mine?" He chuckled softly as he took in the sweatshirt she was wearing.

"Yeah but it's all been ruined by the rain now. I'm sorry." She pouted.

"To hell with it 'Lena…I'll give you another one." He said amused, as he took it off her and made her gasp.

He started kissing her neck and nibbling lightly on it, making her shudder underneath him. He kept going lower as he finally reached her flat stomach, lifting her shirt and kissing her abdomens. He slowly unbottoned it, leaving her in a bare chest in a few seconds.

She was gorgeous. Her lips were swollen from his kisses and her cheeks slightly flushed. Her perfect round breasts waiting for him to devour them.

As he saw her biting her lip nervously, he immediatly reassured her kissing her lightly and slowly on the lips.

"You're beautiful." He whispered, rubbing his nose against hers.

She moaned softly as he took one of her hard rosy nipples into his mouth. He kept sucking and licking around it and she moaned louder. When he moved to the other one, she wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing her hips against his making him groan.

"Damon.." She breathed his name.

She ran her hands up and down his bare back, enjoying the feeling of his warm skin.

He moved down her stomach, kissing his way down her belly and unzipping her jeans. In a moment they were across the room and she was left only in her panties. He looked up at her and she nodded in approval, feeling her desire for him increasing.

He started kissing her thighs taking his sweet time. At that point her core was throbbing with need for him and she squeezed her legs together.

Taking the hint he smirked smugly and slowly took off her panties. He inserted one of his experted fingers inside her wet core and she moaned loudly arching her back. He started thrusting in and out of her adding another finger. Not able to resist tasting her, he started licking inside her wet folds.

"Wha-what are you doing?" She asked nervously, still breathing heavily as her eyes snapped open.

"You're delicious." He said in his seductive tone.

"Oh no, Damon. No one has ever…I mean…it's gross, isn't it? Why don't we just –" She was saying nervously.

"Elena." He said calmly, devouring her name. "Relax." He said with an amused smile. "It's not gross, baby. If no one has ever done this to you…it's their loss. And yours." He said smirking as he kept working on her.

"Besides, I took it as an invitation." He said grinning and looking down at her bare flesh. "I love it." He said huskily, doing the eye-thing that she loved so much.

When Caroline made her do it, Elena felt completely embarassed after. It was just so weird. The fact that Damon seemed to enjoy it so much only flattered her though.

He kept nibbling on her clit and thrusting his fingers inside her, making her begging for release. She moaned loudly and arched her back in pleasure as he made her come with one last thrust.

Once he was done she was painting heavily. He kissed the insides of her thighs then making his way up to her again.

Her cheeks were flushed and she had a drunky expression.

"That was…"

"Gross?" He teased, raising an eyebrow.

"No." She grinned. "It was amazing. You are amazing." She said as she kissed him passionately.

He groaned loudly when her hand came in contact with his hard bulge and she started stroaking him through the material of his jeans.

"Let's get rid of them..shall we?" She said in a seductive voice.

He grinned mischeviously and growled devouring her neck. As she tried to unzip his pants, anxiety took the best of her again and she huffed in frustration. Damon smiled at her softly and covered her hand with his own, helping her to undress him.

They needed to talk. They needed to do and deal with a lot of things. But right now, they were just two people who loved each other and needed each other. No one else and nothing else existed but them.

She smiled so devotedly at him that his own eyes got a little teary. When had he become so emotional? Being with a woman had never been like that before. With other women was just sex, simple as that.

But with Elena it was making love. For the first time in his life Damon Salvatore was making love to a woman. He worshipped and loved the woman who was laying under him, wrapped in his arms, completely his.

With one gentle thrust he started penetrating her. He could feel how tight she was and it only made him harder. When he heard her whimpering though he immediatly looked at her in the eyes.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked softly as he stroked her hair backwards.

She shook her head firmly, kissing him on his shoulder and pulling him closer. She wrapped her legs tight against his waist as he started thrusting in and out of her. Her soft cries echoed the room as he increased his speed, pulling them both into oblivion.

Elena felt tingles all over her body, as she was wrapped safely into his arms with him inside of her she realized that it was where she belonged all along. After three months, twelve weeks, ninety days of longing and hurting she was finally where she belonged.

"I didn't use protection 'Lena…" He groaned lightly, ready to pull out.

His words though seemed to can't make her think properly. She was desperate for him. She didn't want this to end, she wanted everything for him, and since she couldn't keep _him_…she quickly lied to him.

"I'm on the pill." She blunty lied smiling reassuringly.

He took one of her legs and raised it up his hip, thrusting deeper inside of her.

"Damon!" She screamed, scratching his shoulders with her nails as he growled her name in the crook of her neck.

She moaned and painted and after a few more thrusts he came deep inside of her as she felt his warmth penetrating her.

She lied. She had lied to him but she didn't care. She was going to love him for all the time they still had, and she knew that she could only love another person like she loved him.

His child.

If god wanted to give her this miracle, she would have loved it and honored it forever.

She wanted it. But she knew that if Damon knew about this, he would never let her do that, just like everyone else around her. But he wouldn't know anyway…and other people's opinions didn't matter anyway. At least she was going to have something of his for the rest of her life.

"I love you." He said. His big blue eyes filled with unspoked emotion.

"I love you too Damon. Forever." She said, her voice pitching a little.

His smile saddened a little as he understood what she meant. He rested his forehead against hers, kissing her sweetly.

He laid down next to her and took her in his arms, wrapping them around her protectively. She rested her head on his heart, its sound calming her like it was a lullaby.

"I can't believe this really happened..for all these months...I thought you didn't want me." She said quietly.

Her voice was sad and he knew exactly what she meant. Not knowing a better way to leave her he had told her the most horrible things, things that couldn't be forgiven. But here she was in his arms making him the happiest person in the world.

He tightened his grip on her, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean them Elena...I…I just wanted you to hate me. I was desperate and I didn't know what to do." He said and she could hear the actual desperation in his voice.

"You could have told me. You know I would never leave you. Not even when..when you will…" She wanted to say the words but they just couldn't come out of her mouth as her voice started cracking.

"Die?" He asked defeated.

"Please don't say that word Damon. Don't, not now." She whispered as she closed her eyes.

"You're right..." He said quietly, kissing her head. "Why don't you get some sleep? You're probably tired..especially after this.." He waggled his eyebrows making her giggle.

"Cocky much?" She said.

"Very much." He replied, kissing her nose.

"Damon?" She asked looking up at him.

"Yeah?"

"Can you stay here with me..and just hold me?" She whispered with vulnerability in her eyes.

"I'll be right here, love." He reassured her.

"Good." She said smiling a little.

She snuggled close to his body, hugging his chest as he did the same with her. She'd always loved sleeping like this with him. It made her feel protected and warm. She threw a leg possessively around his, buring her face in the crook of his neck.

She could hear his heartbeat. The same heartbeat that used to be her lullaby, her favorite sound. The heartbeat that she feared would stop beating at any second now.

She woke up that it was dark outside. The lights of the street and buildings was the only light filling the room. She looked on her side and saw Damon still sleeping peacefully. His arms were still safely secured around her not letting her go. Being with Damon was all she wanted. She could stay like this forever.

She softly caressed his hair and took in his face while sleeping. He seemed so young, so innocent. He was _cute_. She chuckled a little as she thought that he would probably get offended if she ever told him that he was 'cute'.

She kissed the sides of his face softly, not wanting to wake him up.

She got up and quickly searched for something to put on. She found one of his shirts over a chair and pulled it on. It was at least three sizes bigger but she loved it anyway. It reached mid-thigh and she found herself comfortable in it.

When she first arrived she hadn't really noticed the room, or more like the apartment, too overhelmed by all the emotions and Damon. But it was truly beautiful. Of course it had to be it was a suite in the most beauiful hotel in New York…but still. She went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror or at least what had remained of it.

Her face was glowing and she had a strange sparkle in her eyes. Something that she hadn't seen in a long time. She finally realized that she was happy.

Not wanting Damon or herself to get hurt, she quickly fixed the mess Damon had made with all the glasses. Beside that the room seemed decent so she presumed that Damon allowed someone to come over and clean up.

She tip-toed over the bed and kneeled beside him, giggling softly when she saw the pout he was making in his sleep.

"Damon?" She asked quietly, petting his hair. "Baby?" She asked again chuckling when he pretended that he didn't hear her.

"Mmmmmm." He mumbled, his face still buried in the pillow.

She had forgotten how childish and boyish he could be sometimes.

"What do you want for dinner? I'm not very hungry but still we have to eat something." She said as she kept stroking his dark locks.

"You." He said opening one ocean blue eye.

She rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious." She said with a pointed look.

"I was serious…" He pouted. "Okay then, whatever you like." He shrugged and closed his eyes again.

"Lazy." Elena muttered under her breath, shaking her head.

As she was reaching the other side of the room her phone started ringing in her bag. She quickly ran to pick it up and saw that it was Caroline.

Crap! She'd totally forgotten, she was supposed to call her or Stefan hours ago.

"Elena?" Caroline immediatly replied anxiously.

"Hey Care…" She said biting her lip.

"Thank god! I was so worried. You were supposed to call me!" She said loudly.

"I know, I know...sorry. It's just..with all the feelings I didn't think about it. It was just so much to take in." She sighed.

"I know sweetie. Stefan and I couldn't sleep either, we're all upset." Caroline said in a softer tone. "How is he?"

Yeah…the million dollar question. The argument they still hadn't touched. Elena knew that when they did, she would be a mess all over again. One thing was reading a letter and hearing it from Stefan. But talking about it with Damon..it was going to be awful. She didn't want to go through it.

"He...he seems fine to me Care. I know it's not like that but..he's the same Damon." She shrugged defeated, biting her lip to contain the tears that were already threatening to escape. "We still haven't talked about it. I think we're both scared to face it."

"Of course...let us know when you talk about it though, okay? Now that you know the truth Stefan wants him to come back here so bad. Try to convince Damon please." She said.

"I will." She nodded firmly.

"Oh, just for the record…" Caroline said, and this time Elena could hear another kind of curiosity behnd her words. "What did you two do all this time?"

"We..." Elena said biting her lip, "we made love." She confessed.

She could hear Caroline gasping and squealing from the other line.

"Awwww! So romantic! So beautiful! You made it in the city of love." She said excitedly.

Elena chuckled amused. "Wasn't it Paris?" she said raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah whatever but still, it's New York…" Caroline was saying when something interrupted her.

"Care?"

"I gotta go El. Someone's knocking at the door. Ugh, great timing. Just now that you were going to fill me in with all the details."

"Who said I would have?" She teased.

"Bye bye Elena. Go have some great sex with Damon." Caroline said.

She heard Elena gasping and quickly hung up.

And now who could it be? Stefan had his keys and Jamie was already asleep. She was only in her pj and robe but she didn't really care at the moment.

When she opened the door, she didn't recognize the woman at first. She narrowed her eyes a little trying to remember and suddenly she realized. Wasn't she Livia…oh right, Lydia, one of Stefan's uncles wife?

"Lydia?" Caroline asked perplexed by the woman's late visit.

The woman nodded and Caroline quickly told her to come in, concerned about her shocked face.


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Hellooo, guys :) I'm so sorry I couldn't update before. But with the Holidays I've been really busy, plus I had a slight writer's block. So you please tell me if ****you liked the chappie, okay? Please review and let me know your thoughts. I really really love reading all of them! **

**Oh, and what did you think about the kiss? Can we all say FINALLY? Haha. It's two days now that I keep rewatching that scene. I can't describe how perfect it was.**

**Anyway...enjoy the new chapter! And sorry again for updating so late!**

* * *

><p>As Caroline invited the upset woman to come in, she almost panicked. She really did seem upset and they weren't even close. She didn't know what to do. Ever since she had been with Stefan, they rarely hang out with his relatives and they were anyway too many to even remember.<p>

"Lydia, right?" She asked hesitantly. "Is there anything I can do for you? Is everything okay?" She asked a little bit more nervous.

The woman smiled weakly and wrapped her arms around herself. Her eyes were red-shot and it seemed like she'd been crying.

"Can I talk to Stefan?" She asked in a trembling voice.

Did anything happen to Giuseppe or something? Caroline frowned. It had to probably be something really important if she had to talk with Stefan about it at this hour of the night.

"Sure. He's still at work though. I'm going to call him, alright? Can I bring you something in the meantime?" She offered.

"No thank you. I just need to talk with Stefan if you don't mind." She replied with a firm nod.

"Sure thing." Caroline said, walking into the other room to call Stefan.

By now she was used to Stefan coming home late from work. It had never been like that, he liked his job but he wasn't a maniac. But ever since the Damon thing happened he was out most of the time and sometimes he smelled like alcohol when he got back home.

"Care? Hey I'm sorry it's so late. I'm coming back in a while. Is everything okay?" Stefan said as he picked up.

"I'm fine. But your aunt Lydia is here, she wants to talk to you." She said.

He was silent for a long moment. "Stefan?"

"I...did she say what is it about?" He asked in a somehow nervous voice.

"Not really. She seems upset though…Stefan, what's happening?" Caroline asked in a questioning tone.

Something was wrong. Stefan seemed more defeated than surprised and it wasn't a good thing. She was still angry at him for hiding the truth about Damon, especially to Elena, but if there were more secrets then she would be really mad.

"It's a long story, Caroline." He sighed sadly. "Anyway I'm coming back. Tell her to wait so we'll talk."

"Okay." She sighed and hung up.

She went back to the other room and noticed that Lydia was still frozen in her seat, a blank expression on her face. She truly seemed hopeless and Caroline felt for her even though she didn't know what was happening.

"I'm going to make some tea. Do you want some?" She asked hesitantly. "Stefan is going to be here in a while by the way."

Lydia's head immediatly snapped up looking at Caroline.

"Thank you dear. I would appreciate that." She said smiling sadly.

Caroline eyed her one last time before heading into the kitchen.

* * *

><p>"Damon? Come here sleepyhead. Dinner's almost ready. I'm not so sure how good it is though." Elena called from the kitchen, giggling lightly.<p>

How much did they sleep? Or did he sleep? He remembered Elena waking him up to ask him what he wanted but that was it.

After their love-making they had both fallen asleep and woken up that it was already pretty late. As he thought about their hours of passion he already wanted to go for round two and screw the dinner and everything else. Making love to Elena had been the most powerful experience of his life and he now loved her even more, if possible.

He groaned softly and got up anyway. He searched for a pair of pants to put on and saw that they were on a chair. He lazily reached for them but the move made Elena's bag fall on the ground. _Great_.

He quickly pulled the pants on and then kneeled to gather Elena's stuff. He noticed how little things she packed and dediced that he would have taken her shopping tomorrow. He smirked when he took her black lacy bra in his hands. As he gathered all her stuff, he then noticed a grey thick card with something written on it. It was a business card but on the back of it there was written something else. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw what there was written on it. The line said 'call me' with a winky face and a cell number wrote under it. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Did someone try to hit on _his_ Elena? Damon felt the immediate urge to rip the card in tiny little pieces but decided to keep it together and ask Elena some explanation. She had just made love to him, for god's sake. She travelled all the way to New York just to be with him. She couldn't have flirted with another man, even taking his number. But on the other hand...was it fair to keep her from making new acquaintances? It had to happen, sooner or later. She would find some selfless, good, caring guy to be with and what if this person could be it for her?

He put all her stuff in her bag and then made his way to the kitchen. His expression was thoughtful as he kept thinking about the inevitable.

"There he is." Elena said with a wide smile.

She was filling two glasses with some soda and had two french toasts in her hand. She shot him an apologetic look for the lack of inspiration on what to cook but it really wasn't her fault. He almost always ordered in anyway.

She placed the plates on the counter and then walked over to him smiling sweetly. She was wearing one of his shirts and it looked flawless on her. Her smooth and long legs were perfectly in sight and all he wanted to do was throw her on that counter and have her over and over again.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and placed a kiss on his bare and warm chest. Her olive skin was glowing and he found himself caressing her face softly. She leaned into his touch and then looked up at him.

Her eyes became fearful and her body stiffened.

"Damon are you okay? Do you need anything?" She asked quickly when she saw him being so absent and a little pale.

Her hands were clentched tightly on his arms.

He wanted to ignore the fact, and just smile and tell her that everything was okay, but the words left his mouth without even thinking.

"Who is Josh Morgan?" He said.

Her grip loosened a little and she looked at him with surprise. How the hell did he find out about it? She then remembered that she had forgotten to get rid of that card and Damon probably saw it.

She sighed quietly. "It's just someone I met on the flight. He wanted to show me the city and he gave me his card. That's it." She said shrugging quietly.

He'd actually hit on her too, but what was the point of getting into that? This conversation was pointless anyway.

"How did you find it anyway?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

Did he search through her stuff or what?

"Your bag fell on the ground and when I gathered your stuff I found it." He said quietly, looking down. His eyes met hers as he spoke again. "I'm not blaiming you Lena..if you like him..I mean..I don't want to be selfish with you." He said hesitantly, not quite finding the words.

She looked at him in disbelief, snorting annoyed.

"You did not just say that." She said, shaking her head in annoyance.

"Said what? That sooner or later you would have to move on anyway? That it was just the reason why I left you and wanted you to move on from me? That I don't want you to spend the rest of your life mourning over me? Becuase we can deny it all we want Elena, but I'm freaking dying and you need to get over it!" He yelled harshly and she flinched.

His words left his mouth without even thinking and it hit her hard. She opened her mouth to say something but it was like she couldn't talk. His eyes filled up with remorse as he scanned her face.

He sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. But it doesn't make it any less true, Elena. I know you're still mad at me for that letter but I still think it was for the best." He admitted quietly.

Her eyes filled up with tears as she slowly closed the distance and grasped his hands in hers.

"I know Damon. I'm still angry at you but...I can understand. You were scared and I know how you think dealing with your problems alone is better. But it's not. You have me. You will always have me and believe me or not I'm going to love you forever. No one else will ever take your place in my heart." She said firmly, placing his hand on her drumming heart.

He smiled sadly, softly caressing her cheek. "You say this now. But in a few years you're going to be happy and that's all I want for you. Happiness." He said.

She shook her head furiously, kissing him passionately.

"No." She repeated firmly. "No if it is not with you." She said looking up at him with her teary doe eyes. "Honestly Damon I don't know how to exist in a world where you don't." She said, her eyes looking at him with desperation.

She buried her face in his chest as it muffled her crying. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against his body for a long time.

They stayed like that for minutes as she calmed down.

"So…should we eat these toasts of yours or not?" He asked in an amused tone, rubbing her back soothingly.

Her body shook against his but this time in laughter.

"Don't mock me or my cooking skills. I will improve." She said hitting him playfully.

"Making a toast is not cooking." He scoffed.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, whatever. You know what I meant." She said.

"Okay, okay…" He said rolling his eyes amused.

They ate quietly for some minutes as they talked about everything and nothing at all.

The tension had somehow diminished but they both knew that it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"What do you want to do? Do you want to go for a walk, or something?" He asked quietly as he softly caressed her hair.

"Nope." She said popping the 'p', slowly adjusting herself in his lap. "I want to have a hot, _hot_, bath with you." She whispered in his ear, smiling mischeviously.

He growled as he gripped her hips, his arousal immediatly evident.

"Mmmh…I'm in." He murmured as he nuzzled her neck with his nose.

He got up and headed for the bathroom. Elena playfully slapped his ass and he shook his head in amusement.

She would have loved to see the city, but not tonight. She wanted to be closer to him as much as possible. Every moment was precious.

She sighed and thought about their moments of passion before. She bluntly lied to him telling him that she was on the pill, when the truth was that she would do anything to keep a part of him forever. Damon was the love of her life. He was the air she breathed and even though life decided to be cruel with them, having his child would always remind her who she really belonged to. If it was going to happen..that was going to be the best thing ever happened to her.

She headed for the bathroom and her jaw almost dropped when she saw Damon in all his glory, filling the bath. The light was soft and relaxing and near the bathub there was champagne and different kind of fruit.

She unconsciously licked her lips, making the shirt she was wearing fall on the ground. She slowly approached him, her chestnut hair wild and her doe eyes glowing. His eyes were filled with lust as he took her in, his hardness making her all more excited.

She quickly walked towards him, her lips colliding with his in need. She put her arms around his neck pulling him closer as his hardness brushed intimately over her thigh. She moaned when he cupped her ass and slammed her against the wall.

Their lips separated as they breathed heavily. She was in a pool of wetness and she needed him right now. She wrapped her legs tighter around his waist, making him understand what she really wanted.

"You're insatiable, Miss Gilbert." He said huskily, nibbling at her ear.

As he started to rub her clit and teasing her with one finger she saw stars. Her eyes got wide and she moaned loudly.

"Need you. Now." She managed to say, scratching his shoulders.

He took his lenght into his hand, filling her in. Her scream was muffled as he kissed her passionately. Her nails scratched his shoulders even harder as her walls adjusted to him.

This time it wasn't sweet and slow, it was rough and desperate. He thrusted inside of her fastly and hard, his face in the crook of her neck.

"Lena." He growled as they were both reaching their climax.

"Damon. Oh my god!" She cried out as pleasure took her in.

They both moaned as they came together. He rested his forehead against hers as they breathed together. She closed her eyes as he lovingly kissed every inch of her face, making her shiver.

"I love you." He whispered in her ear.

"I love you too." She said kissing his cheek.

He then picked her up bridal style, pulling her into the hot water as he stepped behind her.

"Mmmh." She purred softly.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" He said as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer.

Her arms rested on his as she closed her hands against his, her head on his shoulder.

She just nodded numbly as he kissed the top of her head.

"I wish we could stay like this forever." She said quietly.

"Me too." He said.

They stayed in silence for long minutes as Elena rested her head on his shoulder and he stroked her hair soothingly, occasionally kissing and nibbling at her shoulder making her shiver against him.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked in between kisses.

Her brown eyes opened at his question, turning to look at him deeply in the eyes. His ocean blue eyes were looking at her with such love and devotion that it was being hard not to melt. She smiled softly and stroked his black hair.

"About Mystic Falls. Do you ever want to go back?" She aked, her question and her look more serious than ever.

"I want to go wherever you want to, Elena. You know I would follow you anywhere." He nodded.

"That's not what I asked." She shook her head. "I'm asking you if _you_ ever want to go back. If you…feel to."

He stared at her thoughtfully, his eyes boring into hers.

"Yes." He said firmly. "I want to go back to Jamie, and Stefan. I've already hurt them too much and I want them to forgive me for leaving them behind...just like I did with you." He said, his expression guilty as he gulped nervously.

Elena nodded softly, an understanding smile crossing her face.

"Okay. It's your call, Damon. We'll go whenever you're ready. I love you. So much." She said, softly kissing his lips.

He held her close to his body, his face buried into the crook of her neck.

"Thank you." He murmured.

"For what?" She asked, pulling back to look at him in the eyes.

"For being you." He said. His blue eyes shimmering.

Other minutes passed as they stayed in each other's embrace, their bodies colliding into one.

As they got out of the bathub Damon immediatly wrapped one large fluffy bathrobe around Elena's tiny body. He wrapped a towel around his hips and guided Elena to bed.

She immediatly got under the covers pulling him to her, his body spooning hers from behind holding her tightly.

"Damon?" She asked after a few minutes, her voice shy.

"Yeah?"

"When we..you know..earlier.." She started saying.

"Elena?" He asked raising an eyebrow, his voice amused.

"You told me you didn't have any protection. Does that mean you didn't..I mean in these months..?" She asked unsure.

She heard him chuckling and turned too look at him worried. When he saw the expression on her face he stopped, his face turning serious as he gently stroked her hair from her forehead.

"No, I didn't." He said as if it was the most obvious and important thing he ever said.

Of course he didn't. Of course he couldn't. His body and his soul couldn't belong to anyone else even if he had a hundred years to live.

A playful smirk crossed her face as she entangled her legs with his.

"Good. Because otherwise I would have killed them. And you." She mumbled sleepily.

He chuckled softly as he slowly kissed every side of her face until her breath finally slowed down as she fell in a deep sleep.

When he was going to turn off the nightstand light his phone started ringing. He rolled his eyes and quickly replied to it.

"Yeah?" He said, his tone annoyed.

"Hey man. It's me. What are you doing?" Mason asked.

There was loud music and squealing in the background.

"Uhm, nothing in particular…why?" He said as he watched Elena's sleeping form.

"You totally have to come here. C'mon it's been weeks since I last saw you and you're always depressed. Loosing it up and hopefully getting laid it would only do good don't you think." He said in a mischevious tone.

Mason could be an immature ass most of the times but he was after all a good friend. He didn't want to lie about Elena, he was proud to have a girl like her by his side. If she agreed, he would have gladly introduced them.

"Look, I actually need to talk to you..just not today. Is it okay for you tomorrow?" He whispered.

Elena mumbled in her sleep as she turned around to cling against his body, her leg throwed over his waist and her face buried in his chest.

He chuckled lovingly.

"Damon? Why are you whispering and chuckling? Are you…okay, man?" Mason asked sounding confused.

"I'm okay. I'm more than okay. I'll call you tomorrow alright?"

"Fine." Mason sighed. "But call so we can set things up." He said as he hung up.

He put his phone on the nightstand and turned off the light. He held Elena close to his body, inhaling her fresh and familiar scent.

He then thought about Mystic Falls. Jamie, Stefan…and that ungrateful asshole of his father. He wanted and needed to come back. He couldn't run until it was too late, and he knew that with Elena by his side he could face everything. And truth be told he missed Mystic Falls. He'd always thought that heading out of that town would be the best thing but it wasn't. He knew it would have made Elena happy too. And if that made her happy, it made him happy.

He then remembered to turn off his phone, not wanting to be disturbed in such a peaceful moment. Maybe he would have turned it on tomorrow to hear Mason. He still wasn't sure. For now he would just focus on the love of his life sleeping in his arms.

* * *

><p>Caroline heard the front door opening and immediatly rushed to it. Stefan's face was tired and he had dark circles under his eyes, his whole body seeming defeated. She took off his coat and gave him a cheeky smile softly caressing his face.<p>

He was working too much, he was buring his sadness and grieving into work and it wasn't healthy.

"Is she still here? What happened?" He asked.

"I don't know. She only wants to talk to you. She seems upset, Stefan. I think something serious happened." She said.

"I'll deal with it." He nodded calmly. "You go to bed." He pratically demanded.

Caroline gave him a suspicious nod as she went into their room.

"Lydia." Stefan acknoweledged, slowly sitting on the couch next to her. "What happened?" His eyes were serious and worried.

"Stefan. Thanks god you're here." She said throwing herself at him.

He stiffened at first but he then hugged her back, both confused and surprised at the gesture. They had never been to close but Lydia and his uncle Zach were actually the only decent ones of his family.

She wiped a few tears away and only then he noticed how tired and sad her face looked.

"Zach's dead." She said all of a sudden.

Stefan's eyes snapped open as he looked at the upset woman next to him. When did that happen? Why didn't he know anything about it until now?

"What? How? When did it happen?" He asked shaking his head in disbelief.

"A few hours ago. They tried to save him but it was too late. I came back home and I found him on the floor unconscious. I called 911 and they brought him to the hospital." She started explaining, her voice filled with any emotion. She then bored her eyes right into his ones. "It was heart attack. Zach never had heart issues and only a few months ago he did a check up with Dr. Hunt. He said that he was perfectly fine and sent him home. But at the hospital they told me that he was having heart problems for all his life, Stefan. That he was dying for a long time. Then why no one told us about it? We didn't know anything. We were told he was fine." She said. She started crying as she buried her face in her hands.

Before he could process what Lydia actually said and start feeling sad about his uncle's death, Stefan's mind only thought about one thing. Damon. Didn't he and Zach had the check up in the same day and at the same hour? What if..what if for some reasons the results had been mixed up? What if they were all wrong all along?

"I think I know what happened." He suddenly said, his eyes boring into Lydia's.

When she saw the glimmer of hope in his eyes her face grew confused.

"Did Zach tell you that Damon had made a check up too, that day?" He asked.

Her eyes immediatly filled up with remorse. "Oh, right..your brother..I'm sorry about him Stefan. Now I can understand what you're going through. I'm so sorry I've been so careless." She said touching his arm.

He shook his head fiercely. "No. I think he's fine Lydia. I think that for an unforgivable and huge mistake, maybe Dr. Hunt's results about Damon and Zach were confused. We need to call him. We need to call Dr. Hunt and ask about those tests. I promise you Lydia that he won't get away with it. We will sue him and there will be consequences, you have my word that you'll have my help. But right now I need to know if my brother is okay." He said, standing up with another kind of emotion surrounding him.

"Thank you Stefan. You're a great man and if it turns out that Damon is actually fine…I'll be happy for all of you. Zach would be too." She nodded smiling a little.

He smiled in understanding walking away.

Just then though Lydia's voice called him again.

"Wait." She said serious and thoughtful.

He turned around to look at her, worrying all over again when he saw her face.

"Is Damon..is he taking any drugs? For the pain?" She asked, her eyes slightly wide.

"Yes. Yes I think Dr. Hunt gave them to him. To ease the pain and all, you know…"

She shook her head, walking to him and gripping his shoulders.

"You have to make him stop taking them. If he really is okay and nothing is wrong with him, those drugs are only going to destroy his organs and his whole organism. Such tough and powerful medicines shouldn't be taken if not needed." She said firmly. "I know that because my mother suffered of heart problems too, and when the doctor prescribed those kind of drugs to her he made it clear that they had to be taken in small doses, and only when the pain is unbereable. If Damon is using them without actually being sick…it will only make him become."

Stefan's eyes widended in fear. What if Damon was taking them on a daily basis? What if he thought that he had to take them even if he didn't have pain? Anything could happen. Maybe he was even taking them in desperation.

He brought his hands to his ruffled hair as panic started to take form in his body. He had to call Damon and he had to do it now.


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Here's another chappie :) I'm glad you're all sticking with this story. It makes me incredibly happy, so thank you. For all the alerts and especially reviews. Please keep them coming letting me know what you think!** **I really love each one! **

**Thank you again and please let me know your thoughts.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Elena woke up feeling relaxed and happy. She hadn't slept like this in a very long time. She hadn't slept like this ever since she and Damon didn't share the same bed anymore. Not feeling his warm body against hers, his protective and soothing hold...that was something that she had missed for almost four months. She would wake up in the middle of the night instintively searching for him, her heart aching when the other side of the bed was cold and empty.<p>

But now here she was tightly wrapped in his arms, the other side of her soul lying just beside her. She smiled a smile full of love and softly stroked his hair out of his forehead. Her touch gentle, careful not to wake his sleeping form. Damon was always handsome and perfect, but when he was sleeping he just looked beautiful. He had such a boyish look.

She studied every inch of his face, of his body, knowing that every moment could be their last. Who would tell that this young and strong man who was peacefully sleeping right beside her, had his days counted? That his life was going to end soon?

She held his body tightly against hers for a few seconds, taking in his warmth and all the love he radiated. She slowly kissed his chest, his shoulders, his neck and then showered his face with gentle little kisses. She pressed a light-feather kiss on his parted lips and chuckled lightly when he purred a 'Lena'.

She didn't care what anyone would tell her, what anyone would push her into doing, this very man was the man of her life. What you would call your soulmate, your true love, your great love. He was the time of her life. And she knew that when the inevitabile would come and he would have to leave her, a part of her would die with him. She wouldn't see his unbelievable deep ocean blue eyes anymore, his annoying and yet irresistible smirk, his beautiful hair and his flawless body. She cursed herself for not meeting him first, for not having the chance to spend more time with him. What would she do with her life, once he was gone?

Her eyes started filling up with tears but she quickly held them back, not wanting to start her morning like this. She glanced over to the clock and noticed that it was just 8 am. She snuggled into Damon's body again and as his arms unconsciously wrapped tighter against her and he sighed in contentment, she couldn't hold back those hot tears that started streaming down her face thinking about the fact that there would come a day when she would no longer go to sleep and wake up like this.

* * *

><p>"Stefan? Oh god, Stefan, I can't believe you're still up. I told you to try again in the morning. Stop it please." Caroline said, her voice still sleepy and her eyes half closed.<p>

She woke up in the middle of the night, finding Stefan sitting at the side of his bed. His phone in his hand as he tried to call Damon for the hundred time. Lydia left right after her conversation with Stefan, and although he tried to reach Damon multiple times he always had his phone off. He thought about calling his hotel but he didn't know in which one he was.

After some hours Caroline convinced him to go to bed, clearing his mind and then dealing with everything in the morning. But here he was at 4 am, still trying.

"You don't understand, Caroline. I _need_ to talk to him." He said firmly.

She sighed defeatedly. "I understand. I know you're worrying and you have every right to. But seriously Stefan this can't go on anymore. It is not healthy. You sleep three hours at night, you even drink! You think I didn't notice? I know that the whole situation is destroying you. But you need to open up to me, you need to let me in and help you through it. One or two hours won't change anything. He will still be in New York and he will still be taking those pills. Right now though I want you to get under those damn covers and sleep. Really sleep. You know, there is still 8 am so he's probably sleeping. Like we should be doing." She spat.

All the rant that she wanted to tell him for moths finally out of her system.

He turned to look at her, his face guilty and tired.

"I know." He smiled weakly. "You're right. And I'm sorry if I've been ignoring you, or shutting you out. I'm just…sad. Confused. I'll stop now though. I'm going go try again in the morning, and if that stubborn brother of mine won't answer me again you know what I have to do." He sighed.

"Yeah. I know. I know you would travel all the way to New York just to save your big bro's life." Caroline chuckled softly.

He nodded smiling in understanding and got under the covers, hoping with all he had that Damon didn't take those pills.

* * *

><p>As she woke up this time, an immediate feeling of anxiety took her in when she didn't find Damon beside her. For just a second she thought that everything that had happened yesterday had been just a dream. It all felt surreal. Her heart skipped a beat for a long moment. But as she looked around and saw that she was indeed in New York and with Damon, she calmed down immediatly.<p>

She quickly got up and headed for the bathroom, freshing up and putting a pair of pajama shorts on. She then headed towards the kitchen and she almost drooled as she smelled bacon and all kind of delicious food.

"Goodmorning Sexy." She said.

He turned around and flashed her one of his most beautiful smiles, his face happy and his blue eyes sparkling. He was wearing a black t-shirt with some jeans and his hair was still damp from a recent shower.

"Goodmorning to you, Gorgeous." He winked.

"This smells so good." She said contently walking around the kitchen.

"You can say so. _This_ is how a french toast should be like. You still can't compare with my cooking skills babe, deal with it." He said cockily, his usual smirk that she secretly loved exactly in place.

She walked over towards him, her eyes narrowing and her hands on her hips.

"You know it's not my fault if you didn't have anything to cook. You cheated. You ordered in." She said pointedly.

He chuckled lightly and when he saw that she was starting to get frustrated he pulled her into his arms, still chuckling when he saw her pout.

"You played dirty." She said with the pout still in place, her fingers tracing light circles on his chest.

"Actually I just ordered the food. I made this all by myself." He said as he pointed to the rich french toast and some other things he'd prepared.

She smiled up at him, kissing his lips gently. "Thank you." She said quietly. "How long have you been awake?"

"An hour or so." He shrugged. "Why?"

"You could have waited me for the shower..." She said seductively.

He smiled mischeviously and whispered in her ear, making her shiver a little. "I pretended you were there with me."

She moaned when he started nibbling on her earlobe, her fingers doing their best to grip at his shoulders so she wouldn't buckle on the ground.

As she felt his arousal pressing into her she pulled away, biting at her bottom lip. She heard him growling and she chuckled amused.

"Later." She winked as she playfully slapped his cheek.

There was a positive vibe in the air and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maybe it was because it all was so perfect. Or at least, it seemed to be.

They fed each other and they spent more than thirty minutes eating as Damon kept stealing her kisses and teasing her everywhere.

"Oh, crap." Elena mumbled still chewing her strawberry filled with whipped-cream, while Damon kept showering her neck with kisses sending shivers down her spine.

"What?" He murmured.

"I forgot to put my phone in charge. I heard Caroline last night but it's probably dead by now." She said kind of worried.

"You're not a kid Lena. Besides people know where you are, right?" He said.

"Well.." She said biting her bottom lip. "Not really. I live with Bonnie now and I just left in the morning. I left her a note but that's it."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. But if you want to talk to her now you can use mine." He shrugged.

She thought about it for a moment but then decided that she didn't have to give any explanation. She was with the man she loved and that was all that mattered.

"No, you know what? Today is our day and I want to enjoy it. No concerns." She said kissing his lips and adjusting herself in his lap.

"Okay." He said smiling. "What do you want to do?" He asked.

"I don't know. I thought you could show me the city or something?" She asked with a smile.

"Sure. Go get dressed then." He said as she got up and started gathering through her stuff.

As he watched her doing normal things as getting dressed and simply brushing her hair he realized how much he loved all of it, how he would never be able to let go of what they had and how it pained him to know that sooner or later it would have happened. He nervously swallowed the lump in his throat as he thought about it.

He changed himself in a black shirt and smiled amused when he caught Elena staring at him with a mischevious look.

She was ready in ten minutes and as he put his leather jacket on they were ready to leave. He thought about getting his phone but Mason probably would have harassed him, and he wasn't really sure that he was ready to share Elena with someone else just yet. He wanted to be alone with her and her only as much as possible.

He put his arm around her shoulder as they started walking down the hallway. She took his hand in hers and entwined their fingers.

Their room was on the last floor of the building, and as he pressed the button to go down he turned around to look at Elena with a look of lust. She looked at him questiongly but as soon as his lips pressed on hers she lost herself in him, kissing him back with all the passion she had.

He pressed her roughly against the wall, holding her leg up to his hip.

"You have a thing for the walls, don't you?" She asked teasingly.

He just smirked as he kept kissing down her neck and collarbone, making her moan loud when he buried his face in her breasts.

"Damon. Not here...it's not safe here." She managed to say, slightly breathless.

"Don't care." He said calmly.

His fingers kept teasing her belly, making goose-bumps appear down her body. She rolled her eyes in pleasure when he unbottoned her jeans and started stroaking her through her wet panties.

"You are…ugh –" She cried out as he pressed one finger deeper inside her core.

He started massagging her clit and she knew she was lost. His fingers worked magic on her. Her orgasm hit her hard and it all happened with her panties still on.

She looked at him in awe as she breathed heavily.

"You were saying?" He said raising an eyebrow.

"You are unbelievable." She said shaking her head.

"I know. But you love it." He said cockily.

"Yeah." She admitted.

The doors opened all of a sudden and she immediatly buttoned her jeans. She took Damon's hand as they kept walking through the hotel. It was glorious and surely the best hotel she'd ever been in.

"Shit." Damon said as he noticed that it was raining. "Wait me here. I'm gonna ask if they have an umbrella."

She nodded and sat in one of the couches of the hall. Her eyes widened in surprise as she noticed who walked in. Her heart immediatly started beating faster, thinking that something was wrong. What was _Stefan_ doing here? He was all soaked and he was holding a paper over his head.

He looked around sort of lost. He then spotted her and his eyes were holding a mix of relieve and surprise.

He immediatly approached her. "Elena. Hi." He said.

"Stefan. What are you doing here? Did something happen?" She asked worriedly.

"I...yes. Something happened." He nodded. "Where is Damon?" He asked.

His gaze was holding hope. It wasn't sorrow, or sadness, as she thought she would see in his eyes. After all his brother was dying. But why did she have this impression? As she was about to reply she saw Damon coming towards them. He seemed distracted but as he saw Stefan in front of her, he stiffened.

Stefan turned around and immediatly walked over to him. Elena gasped as he punched Damon in the face.

"What the hell Stefan?" He said harshly.

"This is for not answering your phone, you irresponsible ass." Stefan said, his anger seemed diminishing when he helped Damon standing up.

"Oh sorry, mom." He said sarcastically, touching his bloody lip.

Elena hurried towards him and took a hanky from her bag, holding it up to his lips.

"Stefan? What is wrong with you, what happened?" She asked.

He sat on the couch as they sat on the opposite one.

"It's more than ten hours that I'm trying to reach you, Damon." He sighed taking his head in his hands. "And you too Elena."

"I have to tell you something." He said serious, but she could see he was holding back a smile.

"Shoot." Damon said rolling his eyes.

Elena elbowed him and he groaned softly.

"I'm just going to say it because I'm not good at making speeches. Damon…you're fine. You're not dying." He said, a content smile on his face.

He looked from Damon to Elena a couple of times. They were both speechless and numb.

He could see that Damon was surprised and upset too, but not as much as Elena seemed to be. He could almost sense her heart beating like a drum. She took Damon's hand and held it tight.

"Wha-what do you mean?" She asked shaking her head.

"He's perfectly healthy. Dr. Hunt mixed his file with Zach's one. He was the one...Zach was the one who was dying." He said quietly, his eyes holding sadness at his last words.

Elena couldn't help the wide smile appearing on her face and the content laugh escaping her mouth. She kept saying 'oh my god' and shaking Damon, who was still speechless and unmoving as a statue.

He then looked at her in the eyes, his ocean blue eyes full of vulnerability and mixed emotions.

"I'm fine. I'm fine Elena." He kept whispering to himself, almost in disbelief.

"Yes baby. You're okay!" She said as she throwed herself against him, holding him tight as if he was the most precious thing in the world.

He hugged her back, buring his face in the crook of her neck. She felt her skin getting wet and realized that he was crying. She couldn't hold back the tears too as she started crying in happiness, holding his face in her hands and whispering soothing non sense.

"I can't believe this. This is a miracle, Damon." She said. "I love you. I love you. I love you." She kept saying as she kissed him.

Someone else's life was gone. She knew that it wasn't a miracle, that something awful happened to someone else, but for her it was. She didn't care about anything or anyone but the healthy man in front of her. Maybe it was selfish, but she didn't care.

She wiped his tears away and looked at him in the eyes. They were more blue than ever and she found herself losing into them.

"I love you too Elena. So fucking much." He said.

She then looked at the other couch and noticed that Stefan wasn't there. He was talking ot the phone across the hall and she realized that he probably gave them a moment. She thanked god that the place was almost empty, otherwise people would have thought they were lunatics.

They got up and she wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tight against her body as she snuggled into him. No one was going to take him away from her. Now nothing could keep them from being together. It was all she wanted, it was all she needed.

He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arm around her waist, walking towards Stefan.

"I don't know how to thank you Stefan. And I'm sorry if we didn't reply to you. We were..you know..caught up in the moment." She said, blushing slightly.

"You can stop there." He said making a face.

She giggled and wiped the remained tears away from her face. "I better go fix my make-up." She said as she noticed that it was all messed up on her face.

She squeezed Damon's hand and then headed towards the restroom of the hall.

He looked at Stefan then, sighing softly. He still couldn't believe this was actually happening.

"Thank you Stef. I'm sorry I had to make you come over here to tell me this." He said in an apologetic tone. "But then again why couldn't you wait? I would have turned on that phone sooner or later, you know."

He saw Stefan's expression grew serious again and he frowned.

"Damon…tell me you're not taking those pills. The pills Dr. Hunt gave to you." He said softly. "You're not sick, but those drugs can make you and I just…tell me you didn't take them. Please."

He thought about it for a moment and realized that the doctor indeed gave him some pills that day. He even remembered of never using them, though. He had told him to take them only when in pain and in almost four months he'd never felt any kind of pain or sickness. He thanked god for not being one of those people who took medicines just for the sake of it.

"No. I didn't take them." He said serious.

He saw all the worries fade away from Stefan's face and he then realized just how much his brother had been through, and how he suffered.

"You're a great brother Stefan. I'm sorry I don't tell you often." He said.

"You actually never told me in twenty five years, brother. This is the first time." Stefan smirked.

"Well then treasure the moment because I'm not going to say it again." He smirked back.

He patted him on the shoulder as they chuckled softly.

"You're going to come back home, right? Jamie misses you. We all do." Stefan said.

"Of course I will." He nodded serious. "And I miss that kiddo too." He said smiling.

Elena came back a few minutes later, looking much more relaxed and freshed up.  
>"So? Of what are you two talking about?" She asked.<p>

"That we're going home, love." He said, kissing her on the lips.

* * *

><p>"Lena? Have you seen my John Varvatos black shirt?" He called from the bathroom.<p>

"Here." She handed it to him softly, buttoning the last buttons of her silky white shirt.

"Thank you baby girl." He said kissing her.

He started deepening the kiss and she immediatly pulled off, chuckling lightly.

"No more Damon. They're all going to be here in fifteen minutes." She said, pointing a finger at him.

"Fine." He moaned.

She shook her head in amusement as she finished putting some make-up on. It had been a month since they came back and today Elena had decided to organize a party to celebrate Damon's healthiness and return.

When they first came back they were all happy and ecstatic for the both of them, surprised for the change of events. Damon had been mesmerized to see how much people cared about him. Jenna had started crying in happiness, hugging him for five consecutive minutes. Alaric was glad that his buddy was back and they hanged out even more now, if not at the Grill then at Jenna's or at the Boarding House.

Even Jeremy couldn't be more happy, joking about the fact that he was the only boyfriend Elena ever had who he really liked.

She even introduced him to Bonnie one night, who seemed doubtful at first. She had told her that Damon sure was a handsome guy and that she didn't like him just because of it. She considered him cocky, a womanizer and all the worst stuff. She was exaggerating and both Elena and Caroline knew it. Typical Bonnie and her judginess.

Elena was surprised to find Caroline so okay with the idea of her and Damon though. She said that she'd judged him too fast and that he was after all a good guy. Elena couldn't be more glad of it. Damon wasn't someone who opened up easily and she knew it.

He didn't hear from his father and she didn't dare to ask. Talking about it always put Damon in a bad mood or pissed him off.

As far as she was concerned, Damon asked her to move in with him almost immediatly. Being away from her and going through so much suffering taught him not to waste any minute, he told her. He wanted to wake up with her beside him and going to sleep doing the same thing.

She had of course accepted it and it felt already so normal and natural living with him. Maybe it was because she had already lived three months at the Boarding House when she worked as a nanny, but still it all seemed right. She had started studing again, occasionally working with Caroline for her events planning organization. Bonnie decided to move back to Mystic Falls too and work with them.

Damon agreed on working with Stefan, no involvments with their father. At first he was hesitant but Elena could see that he was enjoying doing something again and spending more time with his baby bro.

Jamie on the other hand didn't seem so happy to see him. He wasn't being forgiven. He was angry and disappointed, asking him over and over again why did he have to leave without saying goodbye. Why 'Uncle D' had to leave for so long. Damon had felt so bad about it that she had to sooth him everyday, reminding him that Jamie was just a kid and that he would have forgiven him eventually. Damon feared that it was about the Katherine thing. Jamie knew how her mother abandoned him and his father, and he probably felt like Damon did the same.

"I'm proud of you. You're finally showing your cooking skills to the rest of the people." She giggled wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Just because you asked me to do it. I'm pefectly fine with showing my skills just to you, if you know what I mean…" He said winking.

"Pig." She slapped his shoulder playfully.

"You didn't seem to think so one hour ago when you had your –" He was saying when the doorbell rang.

"Say no more!" She gave him a pointed look.

He rolled his eyes amused and slapped her ass before heading down to open the door.

Thirty minutes later people were all arrived and they were all ecstatic to finally try Damon's oh-so famous cooking skills.

They were all enjoying the appetizers as Elena showed to Bonnie the house for the first time.

"Wow. It looks amazing. How many rooms does it actually have?" She asked as she looked around.

"Ten bedrooms and nine bathrooms. Oh and of course there's the masterbedroom which is our room." She said smiling.

"Holy crap." Bonnie said, her eyes widening.

She was glad Bonnie decided to come, but also sad because of the fact that she only came just because she knew that Jeremy wouldn't be here. She still wasn't over him and the fact that he was now with Anna only made it worse.

"Do you mind if we sit down for a second? I think I've already drank too much alcohol." Elena said as they entered one of the rooms.

It was now a week that she felt dizziness from time to time and she blamed it on the fact that she was studying and working a little bit more. But she also knew better. The fact was that if she was indeed pregnant, she didn't know how Damon would take it. If he would be pissed that she kept it a secret from him, or the fact that she actually wanted a baby from him even when she thought he was doing to die. What if he didn't want this baby at all? What if he wasn't ready or he didn't want it with her? It was a huge step and Elena knew that she was in the shit. Even though she was still young and maybe not ready, she knew that a baby from Damon would complete her life and that it would make her the happiest woman alive. She knew it because there wouldn't be a thing that she would love more. She would accept everything that life would bring her. But she was scared. She was freaking scared that Damon would leave her, that things between them would change drastically and broke the dream they were living.

She chose to ignore it for the past week but she just couldn't anymore.

"Elena?" Bonnie said softly.

She realized that she had been staring blankly somewhere in the room for the past few minutes and immediatly recomposed herself.

"Yeah, sorry, let's go." She said getting up.

Bonnie took her hand and made her sit down on the bed again.

"What's wrong Elena?" She asked serious.

Bonnie could read her like a book sometimes.

"I feel a little bit tired, that's it." She said casually, shrugging.

"Are you pregnant?" She asked all of a sudden.

Her head snapped to look at her friend, a guilty expression on her face. She knew she couldn't lie to Bonnie. She never had.

"It's possible." She sighed.

"I figured." Her friend smiled soflty. "And I think Caroline is figuring too. This week you always felt nauseous, or tired. Yesterday afternoon you almost fainted and now you say you're feeling dizzy."

"I'm scared, Bonnie. I know you'll think I'm crazy but…when we were in New York and we still thought Damon was going to die, I wanted to get pregnant. I wanted to have his child to keep a part of him." She said, her eyes tearing up.

"Oh sweetie. I don't think you're crazy at all. I just think you're a woman who's deeply in love, I think I would have done the same you know." Bonnie said, holding her hands.

"Thank you Bon." Elena smiled softly. "But the point is that I don't know if he wants it too. A baby is a huge deal. He's probably not ready, or he doesn't want it. And I'm worried that he's going to leave me or stay with me just because he feels like he has to. I'm scared I will lose him again Bonnie." She said taking her face in her hands.

"Shh. Calm down Elena. I'm sure he would be happy. He loves you so much. There's no way that he wouldn't want this as much as you do."

"But I lied to him. I told him I were on the pill and I wasn't. I wanted to carry his child even if he wasn't here with me anymore." She said.

"But he is. He is Elena and what you did just prove how devoted you are to him and how much you love him. I'm sure he will understand, if that's the case, that is. Because there's always a chance that you're not actually pregnant…you know that right?" Bonnie said tentatively.

"I know." Elena said smiling weakly. "I actually bought a pregnancy test. Can you please bring it to me?"

"Sure. Where is it?" Bonnie replied.

"In the drawer under the sink. It's hidden on the left." She said.

Bonnie nodded and got up, coming back a few moments later with the little box and an amused smile on her lips.

"There were like seven of this in there." She said.

"I know. Just to be sure, you know." She said chuckling.

"Now we just have to open it and see how it works, I guess." Bonnie sighed.

She was tense Elena noticed and it actually made her smile. It felt like yesterday that they were just kids or teenagers at their first crushes. And now here they were, a pregnancy test in their hands.

Just then the door flew open and the box fell from her hands.

"Here you are." Damon said with a smile, his gaze lovingly falling on her.

He noticed how upset and tense they both were and then noticed Elena's wet face from recent tears.

He immediatly grew worried and didn't think twice before going and kneeling in front of her.

"Hey. Lena." He said quietly, trying to make her look at him. "Baby look at me." He said taking her chin in his hand and caressing it softly.

"I guess I'm just gonna...go." Bonnie said awkwardly, leaving the room.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" His voice was serious and yet soothing.

She shook her head softly, holding his hands and making him seat next to her. "I need to tell you something." She said shyly.

"You know you can tell me everything."

"I…I might be pregnant Damon." She said holding his gaze.

His eyes widened and she saw his face going pale for a moment.

"How...I mean…are you sure? I thought you were on the pill?" He asked, confusion and anxiety written all over his face.

She gave him a guilty look and she knew that that was it. He would be pissed.

"I lied to you in New York. I told you I was on the pill but it wasn't true. I was desperate, Damon. I was losing you and having your child was all I thought I could keep. I wanted a part of you with me. I'm sorry I know I should have told you." She said as she started crying again.

He opened his mouth a few times to say something but nothing came out. He stood up in front of her.

"You wanted to have my child even though you knew I was going to die? How did you even think about something like that? How you thought you were going to raise him? Alone? Not letting that baby have a father? That was…that was irresponsible of you, Elena. You know I wouldn't have let you do it. You knew what I thought. You should have moved on, not having a child of someone who couldn't be there with you." He said harshly.

She stood up too, her face hardening.

"And I thought I told you how you are it for me Damon. You and no one else. I don't think I would have been able to move on. I love you too much to do something like that." She said firmly. "So no, I'm not going to apologize because I wanted a baby from you. Because I wanted to keep a part of you for the rest of my life."

His face softened and he walked towards her, his face studying her slowly.

He kneeled down and took the box with the pregnancy test in his hands, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking her with him.

He sighed softly and took her hands in his, softly caressing them with his thumbs.

"Now we're going to see how this stuff works, because thank god I've never done this before," He said smiling a little, making her chuckle. "I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'm going to love you either way. I love you Elena and you're the woman of my life. If you're actually pregnant…then bring it. I want everything with you. I can't promise you to be the best dad in this world because honestly mine taught me everything but being a good one. But I'm gonna try. I'll do everything to make you happy and support you. I love you so much, Elena. I'm sorry I got mad at you." He said pulling her into his arms.

He held her tightly against his body, his chin resting on top of her head.

"I love you too Damon." She said. "But do you really want this? Are you ready?" She said looking up at him with her doe eyes.

"Yes." He said kissing her gently. "I know it's a huge step and I can't assure you that I'm not going to screw something up, but I'm ready…I think. I'd be honored if you are indeed carrying my child." He said softly.

He rubbed her arms soothingly and pulled her head to his chest, the warmth of it and his drumming heart comforting her.

"We have guests to go back though so I say let's do this later, okay?" He said with a tentative smile.

"Okay." She said nodding.

He took her hand in his as they stepped out of the door.

* * *

><p><span>6 months later:<span>

Today had been a tough day and he'd even fought with Stefan on some things. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed and spend all tomorrow in it.

He parked his car into the driveway and sighed as he got out, the cold air almost freezing him. He quickly opened the door and stepped inside taking his leather jacket off.

"Babe? I'm home." He said.

"In the kitchen." She called.

He smiled already and headed towards the kitchen, finding his beautiful girlfriend cooking for him.

"Welcome back." She said softly.

"Mmhmm." He purred as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Ow! Your hands are cold!" She squealed.

He chuckled and kissed her neck. "And you're all warm." He said, nuzzling his face into her neck.

"Damon..." She said.

"Yeah?"

"I need to talk to you." She said, taking a seat on one of the stools.

She sighed, knowing full well that it would upset him. "_She_ called."

His face immediatly grew hard and his fits clentched together. He didn't want to talk about _her_. Not tonight. It was a touchy argument and he just wasn't ready.

"Again?" He asked annoyed.

"Yes, again." She said.

"What did she want." He said as he started pacing around the room.

"She wants to talk to you and -" She explained.

"Then you can tell her she can go to hell." He said before furiously heading upstairs.


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: I'm glad I managed to update in time, ha :P Although this chapter isn't really long, sorry about that. ****Hope you can still send me your amazing reviews and let me know what you think about it! Really guys, thank you a lot for them. :)**

**Oh, by the way...I just have to LOL at people scared and freaking out because of the time-jump and the possibility of Damon with someone else. Haha. Sorry about that too! I know it was a little mean to do, and yes I did it on purpose****. I guess you'll have to read and find out if he's indeed with someone else or if our Elena is still sticking around :P **

**XOXO! Let me know your thoughts!  
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><p>She sighed heavily, ready to shake some sense into him once again. Ever since she'd started calling about two weeks ago, it had been haunting him day and night. He was conflicted and confused and she could see it.<p>

She wrapped her robe tighter against her body, walking upstairs just to find him sitting on the edge of the bed, slowly unbottoning his shirt. He seemed thoughtful.

She smiled sadly and walked over to him, sitting behind him and soothingly petting his hair.

"Hey." She murmured softly. "It's gonna be okay Damon." She said as she kept stroking his reaven hair.

She felt him sighing and relaxing against her as she started unbottoning his shirt for him. She started massaging his shoulders and she chuckled when she heard him purring quietly.

"How was your day?" She asked.

"Good, besides the last few hours. You know Stefan." He said rolling his eyes.

"And I know you." She smiled softly. "Give your brother a break, sometimes you tend to become a little too bossy." She said giving him a pointed look.

They gazed into each other's eyes for a long moment, reading into each other's soul as they always did. Just one look from him could make her day go bright as one look from her could comfort him.

He gently pulled her into his arms, placing little feather-light kisses on her face. He untied her bun as her long hair cascaded down her shoulders.

"And how was _your_ day?" He asked softly.

"We're doing great." She grinned at him.

He placed his hand on her six months baby-bump, leaning down to kiss it. She giggled a little and just then she felt the baby kicking. It had been more than a few weeks now since the feisty baby inside of her started kicking and making a party. It was awesome and yet slightly annoying.

It never ceased to amaze Damon though who was always there ready to want to hear or feel it.

"Our little baby boy. He's gonna kick some asses." He smirked proudly.

She immediatly narrowed her eyes, ready to contradict him. While Damon had been convinced from the very start that it was a boy, she'd been convinced with the same passion that there was a little girl in there. They had decided to keep the sex of the baby uknown until he or she was born.

"You can't know that. I'm pretty sure it's a girl." She said firmly. "Maternal instinct." She then added cockily.

"While you're pretty sure, I'm _absolutely_ sure that there's a baby boy in there." He said with the same firmness.

He saw her cocking her head as she always did when she was irritated and he smiled smugly. She was adorable when she did that.

"Elena?" He said as her eyes met his ocean blue ones again.

"Yes?" She said, her eyes devouring his face.

"I love you." He murmured chastily kissing her lips.

She returned his kiss and when she pulled back, he groaned softly. She chuckled and then handed him one of his t-shirts.

"Dinner's ready, daddy." She winked as she headed outside of the room.

* * *

><p>Ever since her bump had been more and more evident, and making efforts was becoming more exhausting, Damon had become attentive and protective at every hour of the day. Maybe even too protective.<p>

As she slowly stepped down the high stairs, she could sense him being right behind her with his hands lightly on her waist.

"Damon I'm pregnant, not disabled!" She huffed as her hand fell on her baby-bump, who was being pretty animated tonight.

"I don't care. The other day you almost fell." He said firmly. "I told you it was better to restore the house a little. Maybe we should change the stairs…even for when the baby is born and everything, you know." He said sounding thoughtful.

Even if sometimes he could be way over-protective, she loved this side of Damon. He'd totally softened up and she didn't understand for the life of her why he still got issues in believing that he would make an awesome dad.

Elena believed that it all depended from his problems with his own father, who gave nothing but crap to Damon for his whole life.

"Babe, relax." She said softly as he sat down. She brought him his dinner and sat next to him. "We're already making changes in here and I'm loving it so far. I don't want to change the house too much. Its being so antinque is exactly what it makes it so beautiful."

He started eating the chicken parmesan that she'd spent almost the whole evening at making and she eyed him contently. Her cooking skills had definitely improved in six months.

Their routine so far had been amazing and she wouldn't change any second of it. These days he and Stefan had been more busy than usual so he kept himself at work more time. It saddened her because spending most of the evening alone without Damon put her in a bad mood. Including the hormones…she was a mess.

They talked about everything and nothing at all, never touching _that_ argument. The she-who-must-not-be-named was something that made Damon furious. She'd started harassing two weeks ago and now she just wouldn't stop.

They ate dessert together as they talked about leaving for the Salvatore's house in the mountains in the morning. Elena was excited like a little kid. She hadn't been in the mountains ever since her parents died and she missed it. It was something that she'd always loved during the years, it was like a tradition. It just bothered her that she couldn't do anything because of her pregnant state.

She had no doubts that the house would have been amazing. She bet it would be even more glorious and huge than the Boarding House. A real maison.

They would spend Christmas there and Caroline, Stefan, Jamie, Jenna, Jeremy, and Alaric would come too. They'd all agreed on spending Christmas together since the place was huge and comfy for everyone.

Elena had found herself inviting Bonnie too, who otherwise would have spent her Holidays alone. She had recently ended her relationship with her boyfriend Luka and Elena wanted nothing more but to cheer her up.

She couldn't believe how far they had come. Just one year ago she was a simple nanny doing her usual job. Who would have thought that she would have met the love of her life? And ended up pregnant?

She knew that it could all seem rushed, but she couldn't be more ecstatic. As far as she was concerned another chapter of her life, the most beautiful one, was just about to start and she couldn't wait to live it with Damon and their little girl or boy who was about to arrive.

As they finished Damon told her to go lay on the couch as he cleaned up the kitchen. She had protested at first because she still loved doing all these things but she knew that Damon wouldn't let her.

She got up and headed towards the living room, comfly sitting on the couch as the fireplace warmed her up.

She softly caressed her belly, feeling all the motherly love radiating from her. She thought about the night they found out she was pregnant and how magical it had been.

That very night she had an outburst fearing that Damon wouldn't want it, or that he wasn't ready, but he had ended up being nothing but reassuring and amazing to her. The test resulted positive at the first try and she still remembered the feeling of tears of joy and disbelief when she found out. Her heart started beating so fast that she almost couldn't breathe. When Damon saw her face, he had immediatly understood that she was indeed pregnant. He had remained speechless and unmoving for a few minutes, so much that Elena even started worrying he was having a panic attack or something.

But as tears started streaming down his face too she understood how amazing they would have been together. How much of a blessing it was.

As they went to the ginecologist to confirm the pregnancy, and know of how months she was pregnant it turned out that the conception actually happened in New York. Elena liked to think that it was from their first time, their love-making passionate and sweet. Not from the second time when they went at it against the bathroom wall just because they were too horny for their own good.

She chuckled and she then noticed Damon sitting on the other side of the couch, eyeing her amused.

"I didn't know hormones couldn't even make you laugh randomly." He said kind of perplexed.

She sighed softly, lying her head on his lap as he started caressing her stomach with one hand, and with the other picking up the book "What To Expect When You're Expecting". Yes, they were being that cheesy.

She giggled, taking the hand he had on her stomach and holding it.

"I was just…thinking." She shrugged casually.

He eyed her strangely but decided to let it go. Even though the baby had started kicking a lot more during the last few weeks, Elena was always radiant and ecstatic. He'd never seen her happier. They had even bought that silly book that she said helped so much.

He was scared, of course he was scared. His father gave him nothing but crap for his entire life and he'd never actually thought about settling down and starting a family. But truth be told..he was thrilled. He loved Elena and Elena loved him. They were going to have their baby and he couldn't wait. Finally after many years of being so lost he had a home, he had found that kind of love and warmth that he had been seeking for all his life.

They had decided to remodernize the Boarding House a little, changing some forniture, rugs, lamps, and other things. They had just started painting the baby's room walls and they opted for a light apple-green color.

He noticed Elena purring softly and closing her eyes as he lovingly caressed her stomach, his hand from time to time tangling in her hair.

His phone started ringing and he groaned a little as he picked it up from the table in front of the fireplace.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Damon!" Caroline said firmly from the other line, and he could just imagine her stomping her foot.

"What a pleasure…" He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Ugh. I hope that poor kid won't get your sense of humor!" She complained.

"Do you have to tell me something or…?" He said matter of factly, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes. You two remember that tomorrow we're all leaving, right?" She said trying not to sound paranoic. "Stefan just wanted me to remind you. He really cares about this thing you know."

"And as long as my father and his _lovely_ wife won't be there, I actually care about it too." He said as firmly.

"They won't. Relax." Caroline sighed.

"Fine. I thought we were going to leave at 10 am or something like that, is it okay?"

"Yep, it's perfect. Again remind me who's coming? I want to tell the housekeeper how many rooms she has to settle for the guests and stuff." She said.

"It's us, then Jenna, Ric, and Jeremy…that's it I think. Oh and Bonnie." He said.

"Okay. Goodnight then."

"Night. See ya tomorrow, Blondie."

He turned off his phone and looked down at Elena who was now sleeping. He smiled fondly and kissed her forehead. He still couldn't believe that she had chosen him, that she really loved him that much. He'd never felt so loved in his whole life. If he had to, he would die for this girl. He would literally do anything for her.

"Lena?" He whispered softly. "Come on baby let's go to bed." He said as she slowly opened her eyes.

She smiled and nodded. He'd noticed that she was having a lack of energy during these last days but decided to shrug it off. It was normal, after all. He knew that Elena didn't like when he was being overprotective so the only thing he had demanded her was to take the vitamins that the doctor gave her.

He took her hand and led her upstairs. She took her robe off and immediatly crawled into bed.

He noticed that she was wearing one of his long sleeves t-shirt as she usually did and he loved it everyday more. He turned off the light and crawled next to her, spooning her from behind.

She purred softly as he kissed the crook of her neck.

"Mmmh...you smell so good." He said kissing her shoulder and inhaling her scent.

"You like it? It's cherry body butter. Caroline gave it to me." She said chuckling lightly.

"Yes. I love it." He said sighing contently.

"Damon?" She asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah?"

"You sure you don't want to talk about it?" She asked hesitantly.

"Not yet. These days I just want to relax and enjoy our family time together. Please." He sighed frustrated.

"Okay...goodnight then." She said quietly, holding his hand that was was placed protectively on her stomach.

"Goodnight baby girl." He said as he kissed the top of her head.

As he wake up he immediatly searched for Elena, noticing that the side of her bed was already made. He glanced over the clock which signaled 9 am.

He got up and saw that their suitcases were already next to the door. Elena had probably gathered all the stuff when she woke up.

In a few minutes he was ready and he took the bags with him downstairs, placing them next to the front door.

He entered the kitchen and saw Elena preparing breakfast.

"Hey you." She grinned happily. "You're up, finally. I was going to wake you up in a few minutes."

She was wearing purple ugg, a large black shirt, and some maternity leggings which still looked flawless on her. Her smooth and long legs hadn't changed a bit. Her face was glowing in happiness and he knew that it was because she couldn't wait to go in the mountains and spend their time there with all the people she loved the most.

He approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist, putting her hair behind her ear.

"You look beautiful today. More than usual, that is." He said smirking slightly.

"And your eyes are bluer than ever." She said looking firmly into his ocean blue eyes. "We're so cheesy." She then added chuckling.

"Who cares." He said as he kissed her passionately.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him more into her as she could. The more the baby bump grew and the more she couldn't cling onto him as she loved. That was one of the things she hated.

They kissed and whispered love words to each other for a few minutes. He quickly had breakfast and they were pretty much ready to go.

He pulled down all the shutters in the house and reminded Elena to go peeing. He knew by now that she constantly had the need and they had a 3 hours roadtrip ahead.

They headed out of the house and he settled their suitcases in the passanger seats.

"Excited?" He asked as they stepped out of the driveway.

"I can't wait." She said smiling.

"We're going to relax and have a wonderful time, trust me. No one can ruin it for us." He said taking her hand and kissing it.

"I know." She said stroking the palm of his hand.

The time passed by pretty quickly, the only times they had to do breaks was when Elena had to use the restroom.

He could see her looking around ecstatic while they were approaching the house.

"Wow." She said quietly as they looked at it from a distance.

He looked at her and saw the mesmerized look in her eyes. The masion was indeed beautiful and huge. And she had to see the inside.

"It's amazing, Damon." She said as she looked at the sourrandings.

"I know." He smirked.

As he parked into the large driveway he noticed a car that didn't seem to belong to Stefan. They were the first ones who arrived, so it was probably the housekeeper's one.

Luckily he had a pair of keys himself. They were freezing, even though he could see how excited Elena was to see the rest of the house. She seemed almost surprised by this and he realized that ever since her parents died she probably didn't have Holidays like this.

He entwined their fingers and squeezed her hand gently, leading her into the house. She wrapped an arm around his waist as they kept walking.

The house was glorious and wonderful as he remembered. Still looking comfy and inviting.

The fireplace was lighting in the leaving room and his smile suddenly dropped when he saw the person who was smugly sitting in one of the couches.

"Hello Damon." Giuseppe said with a smirk.


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: I've finally managed to update, yay :)** **As always I can't thank you enough for your alerts, favorites, and especially nice reviews! They keep me going and I'm glad you guys are sticking with me.**

**So this chapter is most of all fluffy - next chapter we're getting everyone but I wanted some D/E moments alone. Ha, hope you won't mind. ;)**

**Oh, and at the end of this chapter we find out who's the 'she' that keeps annoying D/E. And obviously some of you have already figured out who it is, LOL :D  
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**Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think!**

**Ps: I've started a new story (Delena of course!), "Turning Tables", and I would really appreciate if you wanted to check it out. There are only 2 chapters up yet but more to come very soon. For those who are already reading it, thank you guys! It really means a lot to me!**

**Xoxo**

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><p>"Hello Damon." Giuseppe said, standing up and placing his hands in the pockets of his suit.<p>

Damon's jaw instantly clentched as he stepped in front of Elena almost in a protective manner. He took her hand in his and held it, gently caressing its palm with his thumb to reassure her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his tone firm and cold.

"Wishing you a Merry Christmas." Giuseppe said playing dumb, smiling widely. He chuckled a little and shook his head. "Besides, this house is still mine."

He smirked devishly and got closer, checking Elena out with a look that Damon didn't like. At all.

"I thought you and my son were over. Guess I was wrong. After all, you succeeded in making him knock you up." He said shaking his head.

Elena was frozen as she looked at the intimidating man in front of her. Damon squeezed her hand and replied before she could.

"Don't you dare talk to her like that." He said angrily, going to stand right in front of his father. "Do you understand me, old man?"

"Oh why son. Is this the way to talk to your father?" He asked pretending to be hurt.

"You're not my father. For my whole life you've been everything but a father to me. Where were you when I thought I was going to die, uh? You didn't even call me. Not even once." Damon spat in his face. "So you don't get to come here with your little fake acting and pretend of giving two shits about me."

Giuseppe sighed deeply, walking to take his coat.

"Well Damon, what can I say. Maybe I kind of wished that you would have actually died six months ago." He said with nonchalance, as he was saying the most normal thing in the world.

Elena made a strangled noise at Giuseppe's harsh words as Damon froze in his steps and clentched his fits.

She didn't care if he offended her, if he thought that she wasn't worth of Damon, or if he took it on her. But how he dared saying something like that to him. His own son. Blood of his blood.

Elena realized that Giuseppe actually made her sick. She wished a life of misery for him. He didn't deserve to be the father of someone as amazing as Damon, and she couldn't even imagine how deeply those words had hurt him. Was this how Damon had lived all his life before she came along? Being hated and bullied by his father? Was that the only family that he had, besides Stefan?

"Go. Away." Damon said trying to sound calm, unaffected.

Giuseppe was standing at the doorstep, his smug smirk still in place.

Elena saw red. She couldn't tolerate something like that anymore. She had to give a piece of her mind to him. She would do _anything_ for Damon.

She narrowed her eyes and started walking like a fury towards him, poking her finger into his chest.

"Elena?" Damon called as he tried to step closer.

She held up her other hand as to tell him to stay in place.

"You." She said harshly pointing her finger at Giuseppe, her eyes burning into his. "You are nothing but a pathetic, sad, resentful old man full of shit. If you are frustrated and unhappy with your life then take it on yourself. For some sick reason you are mad that Damon is finally happy after all these years, aren't you? And you bastard gave nothing but crap to him for all his life. But mind you, because what goes around comes around. I bet even your wife knows how pathetic you are, if you know what I mean." Elena said chuckling devishly, letting all the hatred she felt for this man burst out loud. "So you come near Damon again filling him with your bullshit, and I will end you. You don't get to talk to him like that. Never again. _We _don't want you in our lives, you can go to hell." She said harshly, raising her voice.

Giuseppe had a priceless look on his face. A mix of anger and guilt. But Damon knew better. He knew that Elena's words hit him like a hurricane. He couldn't believe herself that she just did that.

Every person he knew, his own brother included, feared Giuseppe and his autority. But here she was even during her pregnancy showing all her badassery. She was amazing, and he had to thank everyday for having a woman like that in his life.

Elena didn't curse often, and when she was mad she managed to stay calm anyway. Hearing her say words like 'shit' and 'bastard' was a bummer. Giuseppe must have drove her over the edge and she couldn't take it anymore.

He scoffed as he put on his jacket and headed out, slamming the door behind him.

Elena was still raging and Damon sighed deeply, going after her to calm her down. It wasn't healthy for her and for the baby, it shouldn't affect her like that. He couldn't care less about his father anyway.

"Are you okay?" She suddenly asked, her hand caressing his shoulder softly.

Her gaze was holding so much love and worry that he couldn't help but smile at her.

"I'm used to it Elena, that's nothing that he hasn't told me before. But you shouldn't get so flustered baby." He said as pulled her into his embrace, looking at her softly.

"Still that's not acceptable. I'm tired of your father always throwing his crap at you. You don't deserve it Damon. I stood up for you and I don't regret it!" She said firmly as tears started forming in her eyes. "Damn hormones." She then muttered.

He chuckled still embracing her, placing her head on his shoulder as she calmed down. He started petting her hair softly. He knew it always soothed her when she was agitated or angry.

They stayed like that for a few minutes and she finally pulled away, gazing up at him as she kissed his lips.

He took their suitcases and started briging them upstairs, making sure that Elena was in front of him on the stairs. She rolled her eyes a little and started complaining but he shushed her quickly.

He chose the best room for them and smirked when she saw her gasping in surprise. It was twice bigger than their own room at the Boarding House and it all screamed comfort and luxury. The bed was a big canopy one, there was a fireplace on the right that could be commanded with a remote and right in frong ot their bed there was a 38 inch TV. Not to mention the jacuzzi near the bathroom.

"Damon this is…oh my god, this is amazing!" She squealed as she threw herself on the comfy bed.

She sighed quietly and he headed towards her, looking at her with a predatory look. As if she knew what he was up to she gave him a mischevious smile, widening her legs just a little to seduce him.

He was on her in a second as he started kissing her passionately, his lips devouring her neck when they both needed air. She locked her legs tightly around his waist and moaned when he found the right spot on her neck. He stayed there for a while before kissing down her collarbone as he lifted up her shirt, cupping her breast through her bra. She bit her lip at the feeling and arched her body towards his, feeling his hardness near her thigh.

He unclasped her bra and started sucking on her hardened nipple, earning a loud moan of pleasure from her. He did the same with her other breast and she saw stars. She started blabing incoherent words and he smirked smugly.

"Damon…please…" She cried out as he played with one of her breasts.

"I need you Elena..." He said huskily, going back up to devour her lips.

He threw her shirt and her bra on the floor, leaving her with a bare chest. As he started pulling down her leggins she took his hand stopping him.

"We can't…Stefan and the others are going to be here soon." She said still breathless.

He growled but took her pants and panties off anyway.

"We'll be quick, I promise." He said with a smirk as he winked at her, already unzipping his pants.

"You're always horny, Damon Salvatore." She smirked as his jeans and boxers came down and he crawled on top of her, lifting her legs to his hips.

"Just for you, baby." He whispered seductively.

He guided himself into her familiar walls and she screamed at the contact, gripping and scratching at his shoulders for support.

Regardless of the pregnancy their sex-life was still active and animated as always. She always joked about how horny he was but truth be told ever since she got pregnant she was the one who always craved for him.

There had been a week when they hadn't had sex for three days and as he came back home she literally jumped on him. He was always seducing her and she was glad that even though her pregnant stomach was now very evident he still wanted her so much. She had got a little insecure especially because women shamelessly kept hitting on him even around her. In his every touch and word though he always managed to show her how she was the one and only for him.

He started thrusting into her fastly as she rocked her hips against his, craving for her release. When he started teasing her clit with his fingers she almost couldn't breathe. They came together as he panted against her neck, slowly stopping his movements.

It was always a unique sensation everytime they became one. He fell in love with her and with the baby that their love had created all over again.

They gazed into each other's eyes smiling softly as he lazily traced soft patterns on her face, knowing that it would relax her.

She felt a little limp all of a sudden and he picked her up, pulling her under the covers as he slid against her body.

"I love you." He said softly as he kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too…and as much as I would like to crawl into bed with you all day, we need to get up. I don't want them to find us like this." She said giggling.

"But I don't want to..." He pouted buring his face in the crook of her neck.

She sighed heavily, rolling her eyes amused. She then kissed his forehead and headed out of the bed, hearing him groan in annoyance.

She opened her suitcase and threw on something comfortable, then heading to the bathroom with her kit as she quickly brushed her messy sex-hair.

By the time she came back into the room Damon was already dressed and the bed done.

"Good boy." She said smiling as she ruffled his hair.

He grinned and took her wirst, pulling her into his lap.

He kissed her, and this time it was sweet and slow, just showing her how much he loved her. They weren't a very clingy couple, or one who liked to show a lot of PDA in public, but as they were alone or even in company they just felt the need to be close to each other. Feeling their skins against each other was home.

"I say that besides my father's unexpected appereance, this vacation started _veeery_ well." He smirked against her lips.

"You can say so." She said, smiling knowingly at him.

His phone suddenly started ringing and he picked it up from the nightstand.

"Hello?"

"Hey Damon it's me. I know I told you we would be there at 12 pm but Jamie started grumbling because he wanted to bring his scratch-book but he needed a new one, so we had to find a store that was still opened and find one." Stefan groaned from the other line.

"It's fine Stef, we didn't mind having the house all for ourselves." He said as Elena elbowed him, blushing.

"Uhm…Damon you're handsfree so uhm just stop there." He said awkwardly.

He heard Caroline muttering something about him being a pig as Elena blushed even harder and he rolled his eyes playfully.

"Well there's actually something else I have to tell you and that…you might want to know, trust me." He said.

"Did you find out the sex of the baby?" Caroline said excitedly from the other line.

"You're always interfering aren't you." Damon said rolling his eyes.

"Ass…" She muttered annoyed.

"No, it's not that. It's something I have to directly ask Stefan so I'll just wait until you get here. Speaking of, in how long?"

"I'd say one hour, one hour and a half." Stefan said. "Is it something important Damon?" He asked carefully.

"It is not for me." He said harshly. "I'll just tell you when you get here. See you later." He said hanging up.

He didn't think about it earlier but how did his father find out that they were coming here? The house hadn't been used in years and he would hate knowing that Stefan told him.

As if sensing that something was wrong, Elena started caressing his stomach and his chest, knowing that it would relax him. They both had their weak spots and both of them knew exactly which ones were of the other.

"I don't think Stefan told him. I think your father has his ways to find out about things, Damon." She said sighing softly. It was like she could read his mind sometimes. "He didn't even seem shocked about my pregnancy either so I guess someone's filling him in and I seriously doubt that it's Stefan." She explained trying to make him reason.

"I know...you're right…I just hate that he can keep sneaking into my life so easily. He's capable of anything, Elena. You don't know him." He said shaking his head.

He looked so thoughtful and anxious. She couldn't believe that his fahter had managed to make him become like this during their very first day of Holidays already. It just wasn't fair. Plus she hated seeing Damon like this.

"You worry too much. Now let's just relax and think about our vacation, okay? We have an entire week to look forward to and I don't want to see you like this." She said kissing the top of his head.

She held him for a few moments and after a few minutes they stood up, heading downstairs.

The whole house was just so beautiful. She kept being mesmerized everytime.

"I'm gonna cook something alright?" He asked her once they were downstairs.

"I'm really not hungry." She said shrugging, trying to play dumb.

"Elena you know you need to feed. And this morning you didn't even eat very much either." He said crossing his arms and giving her a pointed look.

"Fine." She sighed. "But I'm already a hippo, Damon. So please don't make me explode."

He laughed at her words and she narrowed her eyes.

"What?" She said as she put her hands on her hips.

"Nothing, really…" He said as he kept grinning. "It's just that you're so sensitive. You're not a hippo at all Lena." He said sincerely.

She threw a dead glare at him and his face turned kind of serious again. She knew that he was still amused so she just shrugged it off as he went into the kitchen.

She put on her jacket and her scarf as she opened one of the big windows of the living room, stepping outside breathing in the freash air.

She closed her eyes and sighed contently at the sensation. She had missed the unique scent of the air in the mountains. She had missed the snow and the cool, fresh air.

It all reminded her of her parents but she didn't feel sadness this time. She just felt that love for them that would never stop being there. She missed them, she missed them everyday, but she wasn't sad anymore. She didn't feel empty or lost. She'd finally found a home again with Damon and their baby. They were her home and meant everything to her.

As if to not be forgotten the baby started fluttering and she patted her belly lovingly, smiling at the sensation of this little precious creature inside of her that she and Damon made.

She couldn't believe that she had almost lost him six months ago. That they could be separated forever, not finding their way back together never again. Truthfully she just couldn't imagine her life without Damon; he would be her one and only love, no matter what happened. Always and forever.

As she started getting cold she stepped inside again, feeling gleefully. She couldn't wait for everyone to get here. The people she loved the most would all be here in a few hours and she couldn't wait.

She headed to the kitchen and found Damon cooking with commitment. He always did, he loved to feed her properly.

"What are you preparing?" She said as she put her arms around his waist, kissing his shoulder.

"Some chicken salad and pasta with pesto." He said.

"Mmm, I love you!" She almost squealed.

He turned around a little and kissed her lips.

He then handed her the chicken salad and she put some of into a bowl, sitting on one of the stools as she started eating frantically.

"Didn't you say that you weren't hungry?" He mocked her as he raised an eyebrow.

"I am. Your food always manages to make me become." She said sheepishly.

He smiled cockily and she rolled her eyes. He took a seat on the stool ahead of hers as he waited for the pasta to be ready.

His phone buzzed twice and he picked it from his pocket to see the text.

Elena could see that he was trying to hide it but it was too late. His eyes widened in a 'holy shit' way and he cursed something angrily.

He then immediatly looked back at her, smiling as if in trying to shrug off whatever was that bothered him. Little did he know that she could read him like a book. She put her bowl down and looked into his eyes.

"Damon what's wrong?" She asked narrowing her eyes.

"Uhm, nothing serious really…just a client that was bothering me. He thought I was Stefan." He said faking a scoff.

"Damon." She said firmly, giving him _that_ look.

He sighed heavily as he ran his hands through his hair in annoyance.

"Elena just leave it alone…we've already had too much drama for one day." He pratically begged.

She got off the stool and went near him, crossing her arms.

"Are you hiding something from me?" She asked, worrying her bottom lip.

"What? No! You know I wouldn't Elena!" He exclaimed as he jumped off the stool too.

Her face reddened and her fits clentched together and she closed her eyes trying to calm herself down as much as she could.

"It's her, isn't she? That psycopath bitch won't leave us alone not even on Christmas day!" She growled angrily as she started pacing furiously.

He couldn't lie to her. He tried to cover it up not to bother her but Elena always knew better.

"Give me that phone Damon. Give me that damn phone please!" She said raising her voice as she held her hand out.

He sighed defeated, handing her his phone. "Don't flip please." He said as if he already knew what her reaction would be.

She immediatly scrolled through his texts and a priceless expression appeared on her face as she looked at the picture. She starter chuckling hysterically and he could see that she was exploding from anger.

"I swear to god I'm going to kill that slimball lunatic whore Damon! NOW!" She yelled and he cringed a little.

She couldn't believe her freaking eyes. How dare she? That little desperate slut? Enough was enough, searious measures would be taken once they were back. This couldn't go on anymore. She had tried to take it easy the first times but now she couldn't even count how many times she did one of her little games in the last few months.

This was just the cherry on top.

The text said: _'Have__ a great Christmas my love and try to think about me from time to time, you know you want to... ;) Xoxoxoxoxo always yours, Andie."_

She'd wrote that and sent a picture of herself completely naked with a Santa hat on her head.

She was out of her mind. That little slut of Andie. No words could describe the hatred she felt for that skank.

Elena started cursing the day when Damon started sleeping with that woman. Of all women, _her. _She had never came across a more delusional and desperate woman before.

Elena decided that enough was enough, and before Damon could stop her she dialed the number that was by now too familiar.


End file.
